


The Scarlet Witch of Mystic Falls

by Beyond_the_sass



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-21 19:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30027027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beyond_the_sass/pseuds/Beyond_the_sass
Summary: "I once read about you. A being capable controlling Chaos magic itself. A Scarlet Witch. GET HER!!"------------------------What happens when a Scarlet witch is born in the universe of The Vampire Diaries.Take a look into the life of Cherith Gilbert, Cousin/adopted sister of Elena and Jeremy as she slowly discovers the awakening of her dangerous Nexus power.Will she be Good? Bad? Neutral?Things are bound to be interesting.
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman/Jenna Sommers, Caroline Forbes/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Logan Fell/Jenna Sommers, Vicki Donovan/Jeremy Gilbert
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. Pilot

_The Scarlett Witch is a Nexus being._

_A being born of chaos magic._

_Neither good nor evil, nor does she rarely ever pick a side._

_But when they do, a pity to the opposing side._

_For it will indeed, be absolute chaos._

* * *

**Pilot**.

 **September 7th, 2009**.

Cherith woke up with a gasp that morning as she sat up in her bed… well, more like her elder sister’s bed.

  
She remembered she had slept with her sister who was trying to hold it all in and pretend like everything was well with her.

  
But it wasn’t.

  
She probably saw it as staying strong for her younger siblings, so they could have a shoulder to lean on. But, what about her?

  
The sky was still dark out, but Cherith found that she couldn’t sleep anymore.

  
Glancing at her sister’s alarm clock, she saw it read 5:20am.

  
Well, no use trying to go back to sleep anyways… might as well use her time left to make breakfast for the Gilbert clan.

Something to make them look forward to the first day of school.

  
As she walked out of her sister’s room, she idly wondered about her weird dream that was already slipping away slowly.

  
All she remembered, was the sky being dark and filled with absolute red lightning which rained down.

  
Odd but intriguing.

* * *

The Gilbert clan as she called it, was made up of 3 people excluding Cherith.

Jenna Sommers, Elena Gilbert and Jeremy Gilbert.

  
Jenna was a beautiful young lady aged 29.

She was blonde haired and hazel eyed.

  
The younger sister of Miranda Sommers-Gilbert.

  
College student and now legal guardian of Elena, Jeremy and Cherith.

  
Jenna was a fun loving and spirited guardian, with 'terrible luck in men' as she called it, though she was rather unsure about taking in 3 teenagers.

  
Next was Elena Gilbert.

  
Elena was a 17 years old Junior who attended Mystic Falls High with her 2 siblings.

  
Cheerleader, sociable and popular.

  
She was compassionate and kind, but could also be pushy and judgmental at times too, especially when prying into other people’s business.

  
She was a very beautiful teen with straight brunette hair and brown doe eyes which attracted quite a large group of the make gender towards her.

  
Then there was Jeremy Gilbert.

  
Jeremy was a 16 years old sophomore with an incredible talent for drawing, however, after the… unfortunate accident, he became severely depressed and took to drinking and drugs.

  
“Hmm, something smells wonderful!”  
Cherith looked up from where she’d been making some waffles for breakfast, grinning at her aunt who looked at her with relief in her eyes.

  
“Morning Jenna!”

  
“Morning squirt. And here I thought I was gonna have to make some toast or something.”

  
Cherith snorted.  
“Not on the first day you’re not!”

  
Jenna grinned bashfully at her as she sat down to have her breakfast, just in time for Elena to walk into the kitchen too.

  
“This looks nice.”  
She smiled as she walked over to the coffee machine, pouring herself an healthy amount.

  
“No thanks to your sister, might I add. This is delicious, Cherry.”  
Jenna praised as she enjoyed her waffles with some strawberry syrup.

  
“I think I’ll just take some to go Cherry.”  
Elena spoke with a small smile as she grabbed a plastic plate.

  
“Oh?”

  
“Yeah. Bonnie will be here soon. Don’t want to be late and give Tanner a reason to give me detention or something.”

  
“Ah…”

  
Cherith could definitely understand that. Mr. Tanner was an annoying piece of human excrement that needed to be taken down a notch… or two.

  
“I heard coffee?”

  
This time Jeremy walked in, grabbing the cup of coffee Elena has been guarding like an hound and she looked at him exasperatedly.

  
“Coffee and waffles, which I did not make, by the way, thank you very much! Am I forgetting something? I feel like I’m forgetting something. What am I forgetting?”

  
Jenna pondered as she stood up, pushing her empty plate away.

  
“Uh… Lunch money?”  
She asked, raising up a rolled 20 dollars which Jeremy quickly nicked when Elena and Cherith shook their heads.

  
“What else? A number 2 pencil?”

  
“Don’t you have that big presentation to go to?”  
Elena finally cut off her rant and Jenna’s eyes widened in a panic.

  
“Oh crap! My thesis advisor's gonna kill me! Sorry guys, I really have to go!”  
She replied hurriedly, as she packed her bag and jacket while Elena tried to reassure her.

  
“It’s fine. Go. We’ll be good.”

  
As she rushed out the door, Elena turned to a slightly sulking Jeremy who grabbed 2 waffles and was stuffing them in his mouth while Cherith put on her jacket, preparing to head to school.

  
“Hey… Jere… you okay?”  
She asked hesitantly and he glared at her.

  
“Don’t start.”

  
With that, he walked out of the house, Elena sighing and Cherith rolling her eyes. She really wasn’t in the mood for sibling fights this morning.

  
Elena turned to her and Cherith looked at her apprehensively.

  
“What about you, Cherry?”  
Cherith gave her a wry smile.

  
“I should be asking you that, don’t you think?”  
Elena smiled sheepishly, remembering the previous night.

  
She had been crying in bed when Cherith entered her room, both cuddling up and ending up falling asleep.

  
Cherry stood up after putting all the plates in the sink and walking towards the door.

  
“Do you need a ride?”  
She heard Elena’s voice.

  
“No! I think I’ll just head to the bus stop for a walk. See you!”

* * *

Cherith Gilbert, or more affectionately dubbed, Cherry, was a 15 year old and the youngest of the Gilbert clan as she called it.

  
But while she was a part of the clan, she wasn’t fully related to Miranda and Grayson, rather, they were her aunt and uncle who took her in after the death of her parents just when she was born.

  
Her father was Grayson and John Gilbert’s younger brother, Christian Gilbert.

  
He had met Cherith's mother while on a college trip to Wales and he had supposedly 'swept her off her feet'. And a couple of months later when Iola Cadwallader joined him in America, she became pregnant with Cherith.

  
Christian Gilbert was a man with similar coloring to Grayson Gilbert. With dark brown hair and brown eyes while Iola Cadwallader was a beautiful blonde English woman with bright amethyst eyes similar to purple. While Cherith looked like her mother, from the pale white skin, amethyst doe eyes and small button nose and petite figure, she didn’t take after them in hair. Cherith had ruby red wavy hair that she grew out to her waist.

  
Tragedy struck the night when Cherith was to be born. There was an accident and her father died on impact. Her mother held on for a while till Cherith was born and named before she too passed on.

  
Because of this, Cherith had always strived to be the best she could be.

  
And the best, she was indeed.

  
At the tender age of just 15 years, she was years ahead of her age grade. Presently taking senior classes, her IQ was super impressive and she was very rarely ever wrong.

  
With the help of her adoptive dad, she took care of the money left to her by her parents and invested it into buying stocks into companies she was interested in.

  
But at the end of the day… a 15 year old could not be licensed to drive.

  
Cherith breathed out heavily as she finally made it to school.

  
Mystic Falls High was filled with teenagers of all ages, shapes and sizes and race.

  
Everyone laughed as they reunited with friends and the high school status quo was back in session again.

  
Cherith snorted as she walked into the school, trying to avoid the eyes that followed her, sympathetic or otherwise.

* * *

“I can’t believe the first class of the year was Math! Math!!”  
Leslie Greene scowled as she tore into her lunch that afternoon where she sat outside with her friend, Cherith who snickered.

  
“It’s not that bad…”

  
Leslie looked at her unamused.

  
“Easy for you to say! Miss IQ above the charts!”

  
Cherith grinned, her dimples becoming prominent on her pale skin.

  
“Not my fault. Don’t worry, I’ll lend you my notes by weekend.”  
Leslie grinned at her.

  
“Oh you’re a life saver! Why weren’t you born my little sister instead?! Could have saved the trouble of trying to steal you from the Gilberts.”

  
She grouched, her dark brown hair billowing in the wind.

  
“I am a Gilbert though…”

  
Leslie waved her off.  
“Whatever. Oh! Anyways, did you hear about the new guy?”

  
She said excitedly.

  
“Hm? Yeah. Some guy called Salvatore? I’ve been hearing about him all day!”  
Cherith sighed.

  
Totally understandable of course, it’s been a while since a new student had moved to Mystic Falls, or even anyone in general. So it was understandable that everyone was really curious about him.

  
Cherith almost felt bad for him.

  
Almost.

  
Leslie sighed, fanning herself dramatically.  
“Oh you should see him! He’s a super hunky meal! Too bad he seems to have eyes for your sister though. Ugh! Times like this I wish I was a junior not a senior!”

  
Cherith looked at her attentively.  
“My sister?”

  
“Yeah. Didn’t you know? Apparently they had googly eyes for each other all morning it was insane. Poor Matt though.”

  
Cherith frowned.

  
Okay, it could be a rumor, but Cherith really hoped that wasn’t true.

  
She was quite a fan of Matt though he was slightly a bore in her opinion, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel bad for him, especially if it looked like Elena was moving on… and faster than expected.

  
Maybe this guy was a rebound?

  
She shook her head.

  
Maybe this was just a rumor anyways.

  
“I’m sure it’s just a rumor. Besides, you don’t know, Caroline might claim him for herself or something.”

  
Leslie snorted.

  
Before she could speak back though, her name was called.

  
“Hey Leslie!”

  
The 2 friends turned to see 2 girls in their year, with smiles on their faces only for Leslie as they beckoned her over.

  
Leslie sighed.  
“Seems like I’m needed. Want to join?”

  
Cherith grimaced, shaking her head as she looked in the direction of the 2 girls who looked at her uninterested.

  
“I’d rather not. They don’t seem like people I could befriend ever anyways.”  
Leslie sighed fondly at her as she stood up, grabbing her bag.

  
“That’s what you always say Cherry. Try and open up sometimes why don’t you. I’ll see you later anyways!”

  
She jogged off and Cherith watched her go with the 2 girls, all of them chattering excitedly and Cherith sighed as she played with her food.

  
High school was a dreary place to be.

  
Apart from the daily dose of drama it brings, being 15 years old and a senior brought you the moniker 'The Odd One' from practically everyone.

  
And the people Cherith took classes with were basically 2-3 years her senior so they probably saw her as a little girl or something.

  
Most of them ignored her for the best part and most of them made fun of her occasionally but thankfully there was no bullying of sorts.

  
At least thanks to Leslie Greene anyways.  
Leslie was like her knight in shining armor when she joined them last year.

  
It had always been difficult for her to click with people her age and so she had been homeschooled until the previous year her parents had convinced her to enroll like a normal student.

  
It had been difficult, but her siblings had helped her gradually.

  
Now though… she looked around at students scattered everywhere in the courtyard.

  
With the unfortunate accident, the 3 siblings were practically all in their own world’s, struggling with their own emotions, pains and guilt.

  
After school, Cherith waved Leslie bye as she headed off to cheerleading practice while Cherith left for home.

  
She’d always been the more introverted sibling, preferring home and just being on her own.

  
It hadn’t been exactly possible, what with the whole family trying to bring her out of her she’ll but now, Cherith was practically more alone than ever… and she was confused on whether or not she preferred this feeling or not.

  
An hour after she got home, Cherith sat down in the living room, playing some video games when Elena walked in looking slightly upset.

  
“Hey Lenie”

  
Cherith greeted her, using the nickname for her sister she’d used ever since she was a child and she decided that the name Elena was too much of a mouth full for her 2 open front teeth.

  
“Oh, hi Cherry… didn’t see you there.”

  
Cherith covered her amusement as her sister sat on the kitchen stool.

  
“Yeah, I noticed.”

  
“Could you get me the first aid kit?”

  
At that, Cherith sat up urgently, standing and moving to her sister without pausing her game.

  
“Is everything alright?”

  
Elena waved her concern off.  
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Just a fall and a scrape.”

  
Cherith frowned before nodding and going to grab the first aid kit in the bathroom up the stairs before coming back down and setting it down.

  
Elena moved to open the box but Cherith slapped her hand away eliciting a cry of surprise from her sister.

  
“I’ll do it Lenie. I know how clumsy you could be when in pain.”

  
Elena looked down at her sister, a mixture of exasperation, amusement and fondness in her eyes.  
“I’m the older one here.”

  
Cherith snorted.  
“Only in name and you know that… what happened, anyway?”

  
Elena sighed.  
“I fell… It’s no biggie.”

  
“… at the cemetery?”  
Cherith added hesitantly. Not sure how to bring it up without opening another wound with her sister who was clearly struggling to keep up a happy face.

  
She looked up at Elena who forced a smile on her face.  
“I was just passing by, that’s all.”

  
Cherith nodded, eager to change the conversation.

  
“And what’s this I hear about you and some boy named Salvatore?”

  
Elena’s eyes widened.  
“How did you…”

  
“Um, have you forgotten about the gossip mill that is Mystic Falls High??”  
She mocked and Elena laughed before she sobered.

  
“It’s nothing serious, really. I was just being a normal, friendly person. Besides… I don’t think I’m ready for… that.”  
She said, shaking her head and Cherith nodded in understanding.

  
The gossip mill really was something else.

  
“I can’t believe I’m talking about something like this to my 15 year old sister.”  
She joked as Cherith out the band aid around the now treated wound, covering it up.

  
“Hey! I’ll have you know there’s no 15 year old as mature as I am!”  
She said in a fake, snooty manner and Elena laughed, Cherith patting her back in her head for a job well done on cheering her sister up.

  
“Hey, by the way do you maybe want to join me and the girls at the grill this evening?”  
Cherith shrugged, not particularly interested but she was craving some burgers anyway.

  
“Sure. But you pay for my dinner.”

  
Elena rolled her eyes, ruffling her sisters head as she moved to go to her room.

  
“Just be ready by 7.”

  
Cherith waved her off as she took the kit back to the bathroom and went into her room to take a small nap.

* * *

_“Dad look out!!”_

  
_Cherith screamed at her laughing father who recovered but just a little too late as the car swerved in the storm that night and drove off the Wickery Bridge into the cold waters of the river with a strong impact that practically knocked Cherith out._

  
_“Cherith…Cherith wake up… Cherith!”_

* * *

Cherith woke up with a gasp as he sister nudged her up that evening, a slightly concerned look on her face.

  
“Hey, you okay?... You seemed so out of it.”

  
Cherith sighed, pressing a hand to her beating chest to slow it down.

  
“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine, I just… I must have been super tired.”  
She lied and Elena nodded with a small grin.

  
“I bet the thought of burgers and fries will wake you even better. Come on, we’re leaving in 10.”  
She said, standing up and leaving Cherith in her room, staring at nothing in particular.

  
She idly wondered why she suddenly dreamt of that night again.

  
She hadn’t for a few weeks… yet this dream felt so surreal… like she was reliving it all over again.

  
“Must be some bad omen”  
She muttered under her breath disgruntled as she let out a small grumble of disgust at her hair sticking to her skin with sweat.

  
Adding that there was no time to take a shower, she put her hair in a ponytail and wore Jean shorts and a wine round neck with a black wooly sweater in her hand in case it got chilly later on, after all she had no idea when Elena and her friends would leave.

  
Putting on her sneakers, she left her room, walking into Elena who was rushing into her own room with her diary in hand.

  
Cherith frowned.

  
“Aren’t we leaving now? I’m starving!”

  
“Oh dear. Can’t allow the bottomless pit be even more angered.”

  
Cherith scoffed as she walked past her sisters room, looking into Jeremy’s as well and seeing no sign of life.

  
She shrugged and jogged down the stairs, stopping in front of the door as she saw a stranger she’d never seen before, standing just outside the open door, looking around warily.

  
As if that wasn’t ominous enough, he was dressed in all black and was good-looking.  
It was always the good-looking ones.

  
He noticed her presence and stood straight, about to open his mouth when he looked behind Cherith at the sound of footsteps.

  
“Oh! Um… Cherith, this is Stefan Salvatore. He’ll be joining us. Stefan, this is my little sister, Cherith Gilbert. We call her Cherry though.”

  
Stefan turned to Cherith with a friendly smile and nodded at her.  
“Nice to meet you. Cherith. That’s a rather rare name.”

  
Cherith nodded awkwardly.

  
“Uh yeah. It’s Hebrew so…”  
She shrugged and Elena sighed, side hugging her sister.

  
“Ignore her, she can be awkward at times.”  
Stefan smiled amused and cherry huffed, pushing her sister away from her and walking out the door, past Stefan.

  
“I’m not awkward I’m hungry. And nice to meet you too, I guess.”

  
She mumbled the last part under her breath so as not to sound judgmental to him.

  
She never noticed the smile Stefan hid as she waited for Elena to unlock her car and got into the backseat.

* * *

As Elena drove, the car silent, Cherith looked at the 2 of them suspiciously from behind.

  
How weird was it that Elena had been so sure of not pursuing anything and suddenly Cherith was the 3rd wheel in whatever it was they had.

  
Cherith sighed under her breath.

  
She really didn’t want to get involved in… whatever they were.

  
Cherith’s eyes then mistakenly met Stefan’s through the rear-view mirror and she immediately looked away, cursing herself for not being as sneaky.

  
“So, Cherith… how old are you?”  
Stefan finally spoke and Cherith sighed.

  
“15.”

  
Elena sighed as she knew Cherith wouldn’t say anything again. She could be rude when she was hungry.

  
“Ignore her Stefan, she usually has mood swings when she’s hungry. She’s a perfect angel otherwise.”

  
Cherith scoffed.

  
“Angel alright.”

  
“She’s actually very brilliant. At just 15, she’s actually in senior year!”

  
His eyes widened in surprise.  
“Really? That’s really impressive.”

  
Cherith shrugged, though she felt a pleasant thrill of pride in her chest.

  
Who wouldn’t when your achievements were being recognized?

  
“I'm sure anyone could do it.”

  
She waved off, trying to act benign and Elena and Stefan exchanged amused looks.

* * *

Cherith sighed in relief as they finally rolled into the Mystic Grill, ignoring her sister and the Salvatore guy… who she’d suddenly forgotten his first name. She cussed under her breath.

“I’ll see you slow pokes inside!”

  
With that, she jogged inside the bar, sighing as the smell of food wafted through her nose.

  
She spotted a bunch of teenagers scattered around the Grill.

  
From Elena’s friends, to Matt, Tyler Lockwood and even Jeremy was there, seated by a corner like a prowling cat.

  
Cherith immediately walked up to him, ignoring the commotion Elena and her new friend brought in by walking in together.

  
Like earlier said… gossip mill.

  
“Hey Jemmie.”  
She greeted the boy who sighed in annoyance.

  
“Stop calling me that.”  
He grouched as he played with his fries and Cherith ignored him.

  
He’d been particularly dark ever since the accident, and while he still had a soft spot for Cherith, he was still cold and occasionally harsh as well.

  
Cherith spotted his black painted chapped nails.

  
“You should repaint that, it looks hideous like this. I can understand why you’re here all alone. Chased the good-looking girls away when they spotted such a bad manicure hm?”

  
Jeremy scoffed, a side smile on his lips and Cherith grinned, taking it as a job well done.

  
His gradually brightening eyes darkened though when Vicki Donovan walked past without so much as a greeting.

  
Cherith frowned.

  
She knew they’d grown rather close during the summer. She wasn’t sure what their friendship was all about but she also knew it was because of the beautiful girl that her brother turned to drugs and that made her dislike her.

  
She’d always been partial about Vicki Donovan. She’d seen her as a cool kind of girl but that all changed with the usage of drugs and bad taste in men.

  
How did she know about bad taste in men? It could be with her aunt Jenna, whenever she visited from college when her parents were still alive, she’d always moan and groan about the bad men she’d encountered in all her life.

  
It was rather amusing, but sad too.

  
Vicki’s clear obsession with Tyler Lockwood was so huge while Tyler only had a slight appreciation for her.

  
How did she know this?

  
Leslie was a gossip queen.

  
She idly wondered what her friend was doing right now.

  
Maybe she should have called her to hangout with her at the grill and see the Salvatore guy up close and drool.

  
But Cherith waved her off.

  
Leslie was a great friend.

  
Honestly, which 18 year old would take a 15 year old under her wing and become friends with her?

  
Very rare. Especially in a small, closed off town like Mystic Falls.

  
“I’ll be right back.”  
Jeremy grumbled, standing up and heading into the bathroom and Cherith's stomach grumbled immediately.

  
Taking a dry from Jeremy’s plate, Cherith also stood up and walked over to her sister’s table, waving awkwardly to Matt who gave her a pained smile.

  
Yikes!

  
“Hey Lenie. Give me the cash, I want to get myself something to eat.”  
Cherith greeted, her palm out to her sister who sighed exasperatedly and Bonnie and Caroline smiled at her.

  
“Hey Cherry.”  
Bonnie greeted with a large smile and Cherry greeted her back.

  
Bonnie Bennett was a beautiful mocha skinned girl with green eyes. 17 years old feisty, kind and friendly, though could be opinionated.

  
And then there was Caroline Forbes.

  
The queen bee of Mystic Falls High.

  
She was a bubbly human who tended to be over controlling and bossy and seemed to have insecurities from what Cherith could spot.

  
“Hi Cherry! Haven’t seen you in a while! Have you been staying in your room all the time again??”  
Caroline greeted super bubbly but in a rush way.

  
One thing about Caroline, when she was being nice, she could come off as rude.

  
But Cherith still felt grateful for her during the time of her parents accident and the Gilbert siblings stayed with the Forbes till Jenna could become their guardian.

  
Caroline was rude, bossy and annoying at times, heck Elena and her friends were, but Caroline could be compassionate when given the time to be.

  
This wasn’t the time though.

  
Cherith gave her a wry smile.  
“Why Caroline, you know me too well.”

  
She took the 10 dollar bill from Elena and walked back to where Jeremy was, looking back at Elena.

  
“I’ll be over there when you’re ready to leave Lennie.”

* * *

**Dream**

  
_The sky was dark. A dark black color, and ruby red lightning rumbled and poured everywhere._

  
_The POV came from Cherith herself as she stared around the burnt forest she was around._

  
_At her feet were dead roots, and on her hand was blood._

* * *

**September 8th.**

  
“So! Will you be going to the party?!”  
Leslie asked her as they settled for Trig class that morning and Cherith wrinkled her nose at the odd question.

  
“What party?”

  
Leslie sighed at her friend.  
“You poor, innocent youngling.”

  
Cherith grinned at her.  
“I am young, yes.”

  
“So? You’re in your senior year! I assure you I will spoil that innocence before we leave Mystic Falls High.”

  
Cherith rolled her eyes.  
“It doesn’t matter anyways, my siblings are already giving Jenna a lot of work on her hands… well, Jeremy is… but anyways, I can’t afford to give her a heart attack before I turn 18.”

  
Leslie snorted before sighing.  
“Fine, fine. I’ll give you all the details another day. Maybe this time Mallory Bradley will finally dump Chad Davis and I’ll have a chance.”

  
She wished dramatically and Cherith rolled her eyes.

  
“Not gonna happen. Mallory knows the multitude of girls after Davis and so she’s going to hog him till possibly after graduation.”

  
Leslie sighed darkly.  
“The bitch.”

  
Cherith chuckled before quieting as the teacher walked in and classes started.

* * *

**At The Party**

  
“I like Bonnie. She seems like a good friend.”  
Stefan said to Elena where they stood at the bridge by the party.

  
Elena smiled.  
“Probably the best friend you could ever have.”

  
He nodded.  
“And your sister, Cherith. She’s…adorable.”

  
Elena laughed.  
“That’s what you think. That’s hat everyone thinks and I understand why. Her looks make her stand out a lot, like Snow White in a... dreary town. She is that beautiful in an innocent way. But get to know her and you’ll realize she’s someone to be very wary of. She can be vengeful when she wants to be.”

  
Stefan frowned.  
“She didn’t seem that way though.”

  
“Yes. She’s… been through a lot. She isn’t my biological sister. She’s my cousin.”

  
Stefan looked at her in surprise.

  
“My dad’s younger brother is actually her dad. But the day she was to be born, there was an accident. A car accident… that’s how she got to be with us. You know… saying that now, it makes me feel bad for her.”

  
Elena looked up at him sadly.  
“She basically lost 2 sets of parents to the same thing…”

  
Stefan nodded understandingly.  
“She seems like a very strong girl though… I feel like she could fight her way through it, just looking at her.”

  
Elena gave him a smile.

  
“Me too…”

  
“And um… Matt. He can’t seem to uh… take his eyes off us…”

  
Stefan added from where he’d spotted Matt and Elena sighed.

  
“Matt's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more…”

  
“And?”

  
He asked, rather curious.

  
“And then my parents died, and everything changes. Anyway, Matt and I, together we just, I don't know, it wasn't, um...it wasn't...”

  
“Passionate?”  
He guessed and Elena looked at him in surprise, another emotion in her eyes.

  
“No… no, it wasn’t… passionate…”  
They stared at each other intently and before Elena thought something would happen, she noticed something wrong with Stefan’s eyes.

  
She frowned in concentration.

  
“Hey, um… are you okay? Your eyes… they’re…it just…”

  
Stefan immediately looked away from her, squeezing his eyes, blinking repeatedly.

  
“Oh, um… Yeah, no. It’s um, it’s nothing. Are you thirsty? I’m gonna get you a drink.”  
With that, he rushed off, leaving Elena slightly confused.

* * *

It was slightly suffocating for Cherith as she slept.

  
She twisted and turned in her sleep as she suddenly found herself in the car with her parents and Elena.

  
This time, she remembered some conversations they’d had.

  
_“So it’s over between you and Matt?”_   
_Cherith asked, munching on a cupcake._

  
_“Cherry! A little nicer!”_   
_Miranda chided her last born who shrugged and Grayson sighed, though a small smile was on his face._

  
_“It’s okay Elena. What Cherry is trying to say is that men are scum.”_

  
_Elena looked at her dad weirdly._   
_“Aren’t you one?”_

  
_“Please. I’m a father. There’s a difference”_   
_Elena and Miranda exchange amused glances between themselves through the rear-view mirror._

  
_“Are you two making fun of me?”_   
_He asked and Cherith gestured towards Miranda and Elena._

  
_“No dad, they’re probably marveling at your mighty prowess at being a father.”_

  
_The others burst into laughter and Grayson turned slightly about to talk when she saw something that made her scream out._   
_“Dad! Look out!”_

  
_The car swerved over the Wickery Bridge and into the cold river._

* * *

Cherith woke up with a gasp, her heart beating super fast and sweating, her t-shirt soaked.

  
It was quiet in the house, indicating her siblings were probably not back yet and Jenna was probably worrying about her inability to be a good guardian.

  
Cherith sighed as she sat up, rubbing at her head, her ruby hair falling around her as she groaned, wondering why she’d been having these… dreams, lately.

  
The ringing of her phone brought her out of her musings as she picked it up to check the caller ID.

  
_Leslie_

* * *

“Why are you here?”  
Stefan gritted out, staring at his brother, slightly angry but also apprehensive.

  
Damon though, only gave him a smile as he walked around the room.

  
“I miss my little brother”

  
“That’s a lie. I know just how much you hate small towns. It’s boring. Nothing for you to do.”

  
Damon shrugged.  
“I’ve managed to keep myself busy.”

  
Stefan’s eyes hardened.  
“You know you left that girl alive tonight. Pretty clumsy of you, don’t you think?”

  
Damon smirked.  
“Ah, but… that’s your problem.”

  
Stefan sighed, tired of Damon trying to avoid his question.  
“Why are you here now?”

  
Damon grinned.  
“I could ask you the same question. However, I am, fairly certain your answer could be summed up into one word. Elena.”

  
His animalistic grin as he answered, was foreboding to Stefan.

* * *

_“Hello?”_   
_She groggily spoke._

  
_“Oh my God! Cherry, you would not believe what happened at the party!”_

  
_Cherith sighed, a small smile playing on her lips._

  
_She should have expected that._

  
_“Let me guess, I was wrong and Mallory broke up with Chad? Or was it the other way round?”_

  
_Leslie snorted._   
_“Oh I wish! It’s even much better! Apparently Vicki Donovan was attacked by some animal in the woods!”_

  
_She chattered excitedly and suddenly, Cherith’s grogginess was gone as she sat upright straight._

  
_“What?? Is she okay?”_

  
_“I don’t know, the ambulance was called and oh my God! You should have seen the blood! I didn’t see much before the cops came and shut the party down. Oh wow! It was intense!”_

  
_Cherith became concerned, especially with her siblings not home yet._

  
_Were they okay?_

  
_“Did you see Jeremy and Elena? Are they okay?”_

  
_“Sorry Cherry. Didn’t spot them. But I think Vicki was the only one attacked. Although… I did hear it was the both of them that found her.”_

  
_Cherith stood up from bed, heading to her door._   
_“I’ll call you later Leslie, I have to go. Aunt’s calling.”_

  
Cherith cut the call and rushed down the stairs just in time to see the front door open and in came Jeremy and Elena.

  
Cherith sighed in relief, stopping halfway down the stairs and sitting on it.

  
Jenna came from the living room, a slightly frustrated look on her face.

  
“You two! I have been super worried!”

  
Jeremy didn’t even bother to respond as he stomped up the stairs, a devastated look on his tipsy face as he passed Cherith by.

  
Elena looked at him, tired and sighed as she turned to Jenna to probably explain all that had happened and Cherith headed into Jeremy’s room, knocking softly before entering.

  
“Hey Jemmie… you okay?”  
He sat on his desk chair, not answering and Cherith sighed, walking into the room and flopping on his bed, crossing her legs together.

  
“I heard about what happened… was it… will she be okay?”

  
Jeremy sighed, ignoring her and when it seemed like he wouldn’t answer, Cherith stood up, about to leave the room when he finally spoke up.

  
“There was… a lot of blood, Cherry. Her neck. It took a bite out of her.”  
He whispered like he was pained and Cherith’s brow burrowed in concentration.

  
“The animal bit her neck?”

  
Jeremy nodded.

  
“Yeah, it just…”  
He sighed.

  
“Sorry Cherry. It’s just… I guess seeing her in so much pain brought back memories…”

  
About their mum and dad. He didn’t need to complete the sentence for her to know what he was talking about.

  
Cherith walked back to his bed and sat on it.  
“She’ll be fine. I mean, it’s Vicki. She’s a crackhead.”

  
Jeremy turned a furious glare at her and she raised her hands at him.

  
“Hey! You know what I mean. She bounced back when things happen. And she has Matt too anyways…”

  
She shrugged.

  
She might not like Vicki, but that didn’t mean she wanted her killed too.

  
Cherith was cold but she wasn’t that cold.

  
Jeremy rolled his eyes, relaxing and nodding before he looked at her strangely.

  
“Get out of my room, you look like a troll with voluminous hair.”

  
Cherith looked at him with a pout as she stood up and put her tongue out at him as she walked away.

  
“It’s my fault for coming to meet you. Goodnight Jemmie.”

  
“Stop calling me that!”  
His sigh as she left the room made Cherith grin.

* * *

_But dear readers, you know what they say sometimes. ‘Let the sleeping dogs lie' or even 'don’t poke a bear'._

  
_Sometimes, some people who bring chaos wherever they go, sometimes end up meeting it itself and getting consumed by it’s power._

  
_It may not happen immediately, but yes. They will learn not to trample on the feet of chaos itself._


	2. Night of The Comet

**Night of The Comet.**

**September 9th.**

Cherith smiled as she finally got her wavy hair how she wanted it to be, grabbed her backpack and went out of her room to see her sister and aunt talking.

She smiled, walking up to them.

“Morning women.”

The 2 looked at her amused.

“Well, good morning to you too woman.”

Jenna greeted her as she arranged her hair in an up do and Cherith looked at her, all dressed up.

“Going on a date?”

She asked, curiously and Jenna snorted, shaking her head.

“Oh please no! Instead I’m spending my day with your annoying teachers. All thanks to Jeremy.”

“Ah…”

Cherith nodded, understandingly before looking around.

“Where is he anyways?

“He left early. Something about getting to woodshop early to finish a birdhouse.”

Cherith frowned, exchanging a look with an equally confused Elena which Jenna noticed and she sighed.

“There is no woodshop, is there?”

Elena shook her head sympathetically and Jenna sighed, dropping her hand from her up do and it slumped down too, like how Jenna was possibly feeling.

Cherith really wanted to laugh but she already felt bad for her aunt and so stepped forward.

“How about I help you with your hair so you can get over the parent teacher thing fast.”

Jenna looked at her with a small smile.

“You’re a life saver.”

“Well I’m heading out. Want me to wait so you can get a ride Cherry?”

Cherry waved her off.

“No, never mind. I’ll just take the bus as usual. Really can’t wait till I turn 16!”

Elena and Jenna chuckle.

* * *

Classes were rather slow for the day and all everyone could talk about was either Vicki’s attack or the coming comet.

Cherith found the discussion of the comet much more interesting than actually discussing a girl who was in the hospital.

And most of the talks about her were not positive either.

It didn’t hurt Cherith, but she thought it’d just be nice if the Mystic Falls High population could at least gossip about her where her brother couldn’t hear.

After school was over, Cherith contemplated waiting for Jenna to finish the parent teacher meeting but decided against it, deciding to hitch a ride with Leslie to the Mystic Grill. Even if Leslie wouldn’t be staying, she could at least have lunch and enjoy the sun for a while.

As Cherith waved Leslie, she walked towards her destination only to spot her sister and her friends outside, sitting down.

She idly contemplated pretending not to see them and just walking past but thanks to her hair and pale skin tone, she knew they’d notice her right away.

“Hey you 3, which one of you is buying my lunch today?”

She spoke in the form of a greeting as she sat down, the 3 greeting her and Caroline sighing exasperatedly.

“Now’s not the time to discuss food, Cherith Gilbert! We’re discussing your sister’s sexless life!”

Cherith grimaced and Elena chided Caroline while Bonnie rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

“Yes, discuss all you want but do not involve me. I’m 15, my ears are still rather innocent.”

Caroline scoffed.

“When I was 15, I was throwing parties and making out with seniors. How in the hell are you in class with hot senior boys and not banging any of them?!”

Cherith grimaced once more as she motioned towards a waiter.

“Caroline!”

Bonnie and Elena chided her.

“Ew! No Caroline! I don’t think they want a law suit against them. Now, focus on my sister!”

Cherry added as she spoke to the waiter who nodded and headed into the grill.

She was slightly bored, with nothing much to do, especially since the term was still beginning and all the main events of the year was still pretty far away.

“Anyways! What is with the blockage! Just jump his freaking bones already! Girl like boy, boy like girl. Sex!”

Cherith sighed.

“Profound.”

Elena said sarcastically before a scheming look got on her face and she stood up, packing her bag, making the other 3 look at her.

“Where are you going?”

Bonnie asked her.

“Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do.”

With a saucy grin, she walked off, Caroline staring at her with a proud grin and Bonnie chuckled at the look of disgust on Cherith’s face.

“I cannot believe I know the time she and that Salvatore boy get it on. It’s a crime. I’m her sister! There’s got to be… rules, about this!”

She ranted even as she got her food from the waiter and Bonnie paid.

Caroline though, looked at her. A strange smile on her face.

“You don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Thank God for that.”

Cherith added as she ate her food and Caroline frowned.

“Well absolutely not! We’ve solved Elena’s love life, now it’s time for yours!”

“I’m 15!”

Cherith added exasperatedly and Caroline waved her off.

“I was 15 when I got down on Jamie—”

“I don’t need to know!!!”

Cherith shouted out and Bonnie laughed.

“Just leave her alone Caroline.”

“No I will not Bonnie Bennett! She is a senior! She should act like one! Also, if she gets a hot senior boyfriend, he might introduce me to his hot friends too! Maybe you might get to meet a hot friend too!”

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

“Wow… how nice.”

Caroline turned back to her prey who was busy trying to enjoy her food.

“What kind of boy do you like?”

“No one.”

“Tall and dark? Innocent? Sweet??”

“None of the above.”

“Cherith Gilbert!!”

* * *

Cherith walked into her house later that evening -with Jeremy who was returning from who knows where- from enjoying her lunch at the Grill and hanging out for a while with Caroline and Bonnie.

As she walked in, she heard her sister’s voice and Jenna and frowned, wondering what on Earth Elena could be doing back home so soon.

She grimaced at the thought.

Jenna’s eyes caught them but where more on Jeremy who was about to head up the stairs.

“Jeremy? Jeremy, where were you?”

Jeremy sighed.

“More stoner stories? Look, Jenna, I get it, you were cool. And so that's...that's cool.”

“Stoner talk?”

Cherith mumbled under her throat as she walked over to Elena, ignoring her aunt who made a grab for an apple and was already after Jeremy.

“Why are you back so early from your… rendezvous?”

She asked her sister, ignoring Jeremy’s cry of pain.

Elena sighed.

“Don’t wanna talk about it. Just know he’s on the rebound.”

Cherith nodded understandingly.

Poor Elena.

But then again, serves her right for trying to also pull a rebound with the Salvatore guy too, or whatever it was going on with them. She didn’t know him well enough to judge exactly what was going on between the two of them.

Jenna sighed as she walked back into the kitchen, looking slightly ruffled and frustrated.

“How was the meeting?”

Jenna groaned.

“Don’t remind me. Your teacher, Tanner, is a grade A asshole. And Jeremy isn’t helping matters too!”

Cherith smiled sympathetically at her aunt.

“Don’t push yourself too much Jenna. It’s probably just a phase for him.”

“Well he should get over the phase before his future is ruined and when I grow old and die, your parents end up chiding me for not taking good care of you guys! Honestly, why can’t he be like the both of you?”

Jenna sighed looking defeated and Cherith felt bad for her.

“How about I warm up some lasagna and pour you just ONE cup of red wine? Drink and eat your sorrows away, if only for a while?”

“Please! You’re literally a lifesaver!”

Jenna groaned as she side hugged Cherith, Elena smiling and shaking her head and Cherith laughing as she got to work.

* * *

**September 10th.**

**Night of The Comet.**

“So, will you be at the comet tonight?”

Leslie asked Cherith as they walked to their next class that afternoon and Cherith shrugged.

“I probably might. This comet hasn’t been seen for over 140 years. It’s basically something you can’t see except once in a lifetime. So, of course I want to be there. Tell my children and grandchildren about how marvelous it looked!”

Leslie snorted as they bumped into people in the busy hallway, her dark brown hair in a ponytail and her hazel eyes watching the multitude of people rushing to classes before the bell rang.

“It’s not exactly special, you know? It’s just an excuse to hangout in the town square and eat good food.”

Cherith chuckled.

“Well if it isn’t impressive I’ll just head into the Grill and eat away my disappointment at how, profoundly disappointed I was at the comet. Will you be there?”

Leslie sighed.

“Sure. Mom’s home for a while and so we’re spending the evening together. You could join us. I don’t think I want to hear another of her 'back when I was your age' stories anymore. It’s driving me mad!”

Cherith laughed.

Leslie’s parents were both professors at UCLA, the school Leslie was actually looking to attend.

She might act like a typical teenaged brat, but she loved and missed her parents a whole lot of the time they weren’t around.

She lived with her grandmother.

Cherith sighed, a slightly wistful look in her eyes at the thought of her parents.

Well… both set of parents, that is.

“Well, we just might run into each other anyways so…”

The 2 friends entered into their class just in time for the bell to ring.

Cherith shivered slightly in the town square that evening, wrapping her arms around herself as the chilly air blew around that night.

The sky was dark and slightly ominous looking as everyone gathered all around the town square, waiting for the comet to pass by.

Cherith wasn’t exactly feeling too good either.

She knew she wasn’t sick, but the hairs on her body were slight raised… apprehensive.

Okay, maybe she was coming down with something then.

She walked up to her friend whom she spotted with her mother.

Leslie was basically the exact copy of her mother, down to the smile.

It showed she was going to age well. Like fine wine.

Leslie spotted her and waved her over.

“Hi Mrs. Greene. Good to see you again.”

Sara Greene smiled at her.

“Good to see you again dear. And what have I told you about calling me Mrs. Greene? That’s my mother-in-law.”

She joked and Cherith laughed, nodding.

“Right, sorry Sara.”

“Here, let me.”

Leslie spoke, helping Cherith light her candle and the trio turned to stare at the now dark sky.

“When we finish up here, how about I treat you kiddos to some dinner at the Grill?”

Leslie scoffed.

“You’re just playing nice cause you’ve missed the food served at the Grill.”

“Hey! Home food is good food!”

Leslie snorted and Cherith grinned when Sara winked at her conspiratorially.

* * *

The comet was seemingly nothing special.

It was beautiful, in an odd way, but after it passed, everyone began dispersing and Cherith followed Leslie and Sara into the Grill for dinner.

Sara had volunteered to drive Cherith home but she’d politely rejected the offer, knowing Elena was somewhere around and could possibly drive her home after her mooning over the Salvatore guy, which quite frankly, she still couldn’t remember his name!

After a while, she spotted her sister and her friends who sat down at a table, probably for dinner and was about walking towards them when Jeremy walked over to Matt and Tyler who were both around them too.

“Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?”

He asked, looking around the Grill and Tyler sneered at him.

“You’re her stalker. You tell us.”

Cherith stopped by the table, looking at Tyler blankly.

She really wasn’t a fan of him. She wasn’t close to him anyways, but she sometimes wondered why someone like Matt was even close to such a douchebag.

Of course, she’d heard his father was even more of a douchebag. And the amount of times she’d met the mayor, suffice to say she wasn’t exactly impressed by him.

“I can’t find her.”

Jeremy said, slightly desperate and Tyler scoffed.

“She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced.”

Jeremy glared at Tyler who glared back at him but the sentence had already caught Elena’s attention.

“What’s with the pill pusher?”

She asked wearily and Tyler grinned like he’d won the lottery.

Cherith glared at him

“Ask him.”

“You wanna do this right now?”

“Are you dealing?!”

Elena asked in surprise and even Cherith was surprised too. While she knew Jeremy was dabbling in drugs and drinking, she hadn’t expected him to actively deal.

“Jeremy, is this true?”

Cherith cut in, unable to be left ignored but Jeremy ignored his sisters, turning to Tyler.

“She’s never gonna go for you.”

Tyler mocked and Jeremy gave him a mocking grin.

“Oh yeah? Well she already did. Over and over and over again.”

Tyler scoffed disbelievingly though and unsure look filtered on his face when he saw how victorious Jeremy looked.

“Yeah right.”

“You slept with Vicki Donovan? Or rather yet, Vicki Donovan slept with you??”

Caroline spoke aghast, like she didn’t believe Vicki would go for someone like her Jeremy. Heck, even Cherith couldn’t believe it.

She sighed.

“Why have I been hearing about my siblings' sex life this past few days?”

She mumbled to herself, her hands dragging through her hair and Bonnie chuckled, though she was still interested in the drama unfolding.

“There’s no way!”

Tyler still seemed to be in denial.

“And I didn’t even have to force her into it.”

Jeremy sneered and Matt’s eyes narrowed.

Even Cherith looked at Tyler suspiciously.

Didn’t have to force her?

What the hell was going on??

“What the hell is he talking about, Ty?”

Tyler looked shifty eyes before waving him off.

“Nothing man, he’s just being a punk.”

It seemed Matt wanted to know more, but his priority was more on finding his sister as he shook his head.

“You know what, how about all of you just shut up and help me find my sister?”

He said, slightly panicked and Bonnie stepped up to calm the atmosphere.

“We can check the square.”

“I’ll check the square.”

Matt spoke and Jeremy stepped forward.

“I’ll go with you.”

This time though, Elena wasn’t none of that.

“Oh, no, no, no. You are coming with me. So that's your game now, dealing?”

She whispered harshly as she dragged him towards the door and Cherith sighed.

“Well, that’s my cue. Sorry Matt. I hope you find her though.”

She said, walking towards her sibling and intentionally stepping on Tyler’s foot with all of her body weight as she passed him, making him let out a painful howl and Cherith gave herself a victorious smirk as she reached her siblings who were still arguing.

“We can stop if you want. Send you to a therapist where you'll be forced to deal with it or to rehab where you'll sit in group and tell some stranger how you let your life fall apart. Or you could talk to me!”

Jeremy scoffed, rolling his arms.

“I vote for none.”

Elena sighed, pressing a hand to her nose.

“You know what, let’s just go home. I’m obviously not getting to you. Maybe Jenna can. I obviously don’t know what kind of attitude you’re setting for Cherry. At least act like a good brother for her, if not for me.”

Cherry sighed as she entered into the car, the somber atmosphere not receding till they got home.

* * *

An hour later.

Caroline and Bonnie sat, still at the Grill as Vicki was finally found.

“Ugh, it's just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?”

Caroline whined and Bonnie absentmindedly nodded.

“Yeah.”

Just then, Stefan walked towards them, making them both sit up.

“Excuse me, hi… have you guys seen Elena?”

He asked rather hesitantly and Bonnie spoke up.

“Oh, I think she went home.”

Stefan suddenly looked downtrodden which Bonnie noticed as she spoke up again.

“You know what? I'm gonna give you Elena's cell number and her email. She is big on texting, and you can tell her...I said so.”

She smiled kindly at her, holding out a piece of paper to give to Stefan.

Just as her hand grazed Stefan’s fingers though, Bonnie froze.

It suddenly felt like she had been dunked into ice water from the inside. She felt stuck, unable to move, and absolute darkness was all around her, it felt so much like… death.

Caroline then took it upon herself and nudged Bonnie who suddenly snapped out of it, snatching her hands away from Stefan as if he’d offended her somehow.

Stefan looked at her confused while Caroline sighed exasperatedly.

“You okay?”

He asked and Bonnie looked up into his eyes, fear mixed with apprehension in hers.

“What happened to you?”

She asked him, before she shook her head, trying to hide her reaction, noticing Stefan staring at her rather cautiously too.

“I-I’m sorry. That was rude… I’m sorry, excuse me.”

With that, Bonnie stood up and excused herself, careful not to get too close to Stefan and leaving, oddly freaked out.

Caroline sighed again as she stared at her friend’s gradually retreating back and she turned back to Stefan.

“Sorry about that. She wigs out occasionally, kind of like her thing.”

She assured him and Stefan reluctantly nodded as he excused himself, a thoughtful look on his face.

* * *

**Later on.**

Cherith walks out of her room after taking a shower and dressing in comfy clothes, heading down the stairs to see her aunt sitting and watching a movie, a glass of wine in her hand.

“Hey Jenna, where’s Jeremy and Elena?”

She asked as she flopped down to seat next to Jenna, her legs crossed under her.

“Elena just left and as for your brother… that, I don’t know.”

She sighed ruefully and Cherith smiled sympathetically at her before looking at the glass of wine in her hand.

“You know, I think we’re slowly turning you into an alcoholic aunty.”

Jenna looked at her and grinned.

“Something you should know then, I already AM, an alcoholic.”

Cherith chuckled before resting her head on Jenna’s shoulder and Jenna patted her lap before they both turned to watch the movie playing.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Caroline sighed as she walked out of the Grill that night, slightly bored out of her mind.

It was dark out and she couldn’t spot anyone around as she walked towards her car.

She sighed once more.

The day had been a total bust.

From finding no one to keep her sweet time, to helping Matt look for his druggie sister and not running into her mysterious sexy stranger, she was definitely feeling super irritated and frustrated.

The sound of footsteps and the wind snapped her out of her mind as she stopped, looking around and yet didn’t spot anyone.

She shook her head.

She must have drank too much.

Times like this, she was super glad her mum would be spending the night at the station. She really wasn’t interested in her scolding. Not like she cared.

She continued her walk towards her car and heard the footsteps and the wind again and stopped, looking around but still not spotting anyone.

Now, she was getting super creeped out and her heartbeat quickened slightly. Her steps also quickened as she got to her car and dipped her hand into her bag, looking for her car keys while looking around, the hair on her neck raised.

Just then, she heard the wind settle behind her and whipped to look behind with speed and sighed when she saw just who was behind her.

“Oh wow! Geez!”

She breathed out, her hand moving to rest on her chest to steady her beating heart.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Her sexy, mysterious stranger spoke in a voice that definitely made her shiver.

He was donned up in all black and his eyes! Oh Caroline felt it was finally her lucky day.

Take that Elena!

“No, it’s fine.”

She waved his concern away, before looking at him with a saucy look.

“But, you know… I was hoping I’d see you again…”

Tall, dark and handsome smirked.

“I know”

Caroline scoffed though a grin was playing across her beautiful features.

“Cocky much?”

“Very much.”

Caroline’s answering grin was everything.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

“Sorry for barging in…”

Elena said as she was invited in by Stefan who shook his head.

“No, I’m… really glad you’re here. The way we left things… I didn’t like it.”

He spoke softly, looking at Elena with a sad smile which she reciprocated before sighing.

“See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do, write in my diary, like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was 10. It's where I get everything out, everything I'm feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid. But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should probably be telling you.”

“What would you write?”

Stefan asked curiously and she looked at him fully before answering.

“I would write... ‘Dear diary, today I convinced myself it was ok to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo. No drama, now is just not the time. But my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is that...’.”

Then Elena sighed.

“I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment that...the world's just going to come crashing down, and I...don't know if I can survive that.”

Stefan nodded understandingly, quiet for a second before he finally spoke.

“Do you want to know what I would write?”

He asked her and she shook her head.

“I would write… ‘I met a girl. We talked. It was epic. But then the sun came up and reality set in. Well, this is reality. Right here'.”

He looked at her with such heavy emotions which she reciprocated as they got closer to one another and their kiss was like fireworks exploding everywhere.

* * *

**Also…**

Mystic Falls was quiet.

That was the first thing she noticed as she stepped into town.

It had a desolate feeling but yet it felt electric as well.

It was understandable. Mystic Falls was a sort of beacon on its own that drew all sorts of things to it.

Anna Zhu smirked as the wind billowed through her hair.

“Hello Mystic Falls… looks like I’m staying for a while.”

* * *

**Forbes Residence.**

Caroline moans as the stranger now known as Damon kisses her stomach sensually.

Suddenly he stops, taking a deep breath and Caroline looked down at him only to stare horrified as his face transforms into a demon-like monstrosity, and without so much as given her a chance, lunges for her neck.

Her scream is all we hear of her.

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Cherith gasps awake from where she’d fallen asleep on her aunt’s shoulder who was still into the movie.

Jenna turned to her with a wry grin.

“You fell asleep kiddo. Didn’t want to wake you up. You should get to bed. New day, tomorrow after all.”

Cherith nods slowly, still slightly shaken up by the heart wrenching dream that had woken her up.

She shivered as the hairs on her body were raised and her heart beat was super fast.

It made her feel… like there was something going on, something bad, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

She went into Elena’s room and saw she still wasn’t back. Neither was Jeremy.

It made her worried, not knowing where her siblings were and if they were okay.

She had no idea what made her this way but she knew she’d always trusted her instincts and it had yet to fail her.

As she climbed into bed, hugging herself delicately, she wondered what was going on.

And if her family was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! so what do you all think?
> 
> I've been thinking of cutting an episode into 2 because of how long it is.
> 
> What do you all think?
> 
> And what do you all think about the characters too??


	3. Friday Night Bites

**September 11th.**

“Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t date the guy, I’m just saying take it slow.”

Cherith snorted as she walked with Elena and Bonnie as she presently came to school with them.

“Which means don’t date the guy, I don’t like him.”

Bonnie turned to glare at Cherith who raised her hand in the universal giving up motion.

“Hey, I’m on your side here… if only for other reasons, like… I hope this isn’t some rebound thing you’re going through?”

Elena sighed, turning to her sister, exasperated.

“No. It’s really not Cherry. And Bonnie, weren’t you the one practically telling me to give it a try?”

Bonnie made a noise at the back of her throat, clearly regretting it.

“Well now I’m telling you to take it slow.”

Elena looked at her amused and crossed her arms.

“Why the about-face then?”

Bonnie groaned.

“It's not an about-face. You're single for the first time in your entire high school career. It's the perfect time to play the field.”

Elena scoffed.

“Oh because I am so that girl.”

“But you could be…”

Cherith added conspiratorially and Elena gave her a look and Cherith shrugged. She was only trying to help anyways.

“Seriously though, what’s this all about?”

Bonnie sighed.

“Never mind… it stupid.”

“Bonnie…”

Elena groaned.

“What?”

Bonnie groaned back.

“Just spit it out already!”

Bonnie sighed, looking indecisive for a minute and Cherith suddenly looked interested, wondering what it was all about.

Was Stefan some sort of criminal??

Was he a serial killer they had no idea about?? Cause if he was, Cherith was so going to hit him with a wooden spoon! Not that that would do anything but still…

“I accidentally touched Stefan and… I got a really bad feeling.”

Cherith immediately became disappointed.

“That’s it?”

The 2 sisters said together, slightly disappointed and Bonnie breathed in frustrated.

“It was bad, bad okay!”

“Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?”

Elena asked looking at Bonnie incredulously and Cherith looked at her sister.

“Witch thing? What’s that?”

Elena waved her off and she huffed, disgruntled.

“Look, You know what? I'm just concerned. This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend.”

“Still can’t believe he’s suddenly your boyfriend too. I mean, how many days has it been since you met this dude! Seriously Elena, and I thought you believed you were the mature one!”

Elena groaned, turning to her sister.

“Not you too!”

“I’m just surprised is all! Exactly how many days has it been since you met him? What do you even know about him??”

“Cherith! Please at least pretend to be happy for me!”

Cherith grumbled under her breath. It’s not like she wasn’t glad at least Elena was trying to move on, she just didn’t know Stefan, like at all. And Matt was someone that would be difficult to beat. Especially since he was one of the people Cherith grew up with and regarded as a family friend, even if she’d been avoiding him lately thanks to Elena.

Point though, is that Stefan was a stranger to Cherith. And Cherith was never open with strangers.

Elena turned to her best friend with a small smile.

“And I love you for it, I do. But I feel good. It's been a hard year, and I'm starting to kind of feel like things are getting back to normal again. And you know what? Stefan is a big part of that. So please… just… try…”

Just then, Stefan walked up to the 3, a small smile on his face as he greeted the trio.

“Morning Elena… Bonnie… Cherith.”

Cherith only gave him a wave, trying not to be too rude to the guy. She didn’t know him after all… but she also wouldn’t be too friendly either.

Yes.

She was just that neutral.

Bonnie though, suddenly feigned an excuse.

“Ah, you know what, I’ve gotta go. Caroline’s been ignoring my calls. I’ll, see you guys later.”

With that, she walked away, leaving the new group of trio behind.

“Bonnie, wait…”

Elena called out but Bonnie kept walking, even faster than before.

Stefan turned to Elena with a small smile and honestly, Cherith could understand why her sister had fallen under his charm.

He was good-looking.

And Elena was good-looking too.

They’d make good-looking babies all in all.

“You know… I don’t think she likes me very much.”

Elena sighed.

“She doesn't know you. She's my best friend. She's just looking out for me. But when she does, she will love you.”

The two smiled at each other and Cherith suddenly groaned, making the 2 turn to her.

“Ugh! I can’t believe she left me here to be you guys' third wheel. How rude.”

Stefan smiled and Elena rolled her eyes.

“Isn’t there a particular teacher you ought to be seeing this morning? You can leave now.”

Cherith gave her sister the stink eye.

“You know, keep being rude to the little girl, all of you. And one day, you’re gonna need me and you know what? I’ll laugh in your faces cause I’d do nothing to help!”

Elena just looked at her amused.

“Ha. Ha… I’m so scared.”

She answered sarcastically and Stefan chuckled.

As Cherith was about to talk back to her sister though, she saw a football heading towards them and was about to shout out when Stefan must have seen her face as he turned and caught the ball easily.

Everyone around turned to the commotion, looking between their group and where the ball came from which was coincidentally Matt and Tyler.

Stefan though, gave a small smile and threw the ball back to Tyler who caught it but stumbled backward, some teens snickering at his predicament.

A small smile grew on Elena’s face and also Cherith, before her eyes met Matt’s and she shook his head at him and he gave her a sigh, gesturing to Tyler who was still slightly spooked.

Elena suddenly turned to Stefan with a huge grin.

“Hey, are you free tonight?”

Cherith grimaced, wondering if they were setting up a date or some and spoke up.

“Woah, woah… I guess it’s my cue to leave now. Can’t stay here as you both plan a date I’m definitely not interested in. By the way…”

She turned to Stefan, whose name she now knew with the amount of times she’d now heard his name.

“You should probably try out for the football team. Not because I think you’d be good or anything, but I just want to see the look on Tyler Lockwood’s face is all. See you losers later!”

With that, she turned and walked away, towards her destination which was a meeting with one of her teachers as she had a free first period.

She idly wondered what Leslie was up to as well as she walked into the school building.

* * *

School was finally over and Cherith was walking with Leslie as they approached their lockers.

“So what are you doing after?”

She asked Leslie who shrugged.

“There’s cheerleading practice. You should come watch or something.”

Cherith made a noise in her throat.

“Definitely not interested, thank you very much.”

Leslie groaned.

“Then what exactly are you going home to do, then? Eat? Cause havoc? Sleep?”

Cherith grinned.

“Well why not all of the above?”

Leslie scoffed, grinning back at her.

“Wow, so scary.”

Cherith then realized that there was also football practice today, and maybe Elena had been able to convince Stefan to tryout.

Also, Elena would be going to cheer practice and so maybe she could use it as an opportunity to support her sister too.

Cherith sighed, turning to her friend.

“Fine. I guess k don’t have much to do today. Come on, let’s go watch you and a bunch of other girls pull out your bones and stuff.”

Leslie scoffed though she grinned as they walked arm in arm towards the field.

* * *

Cherith spotted her sister stretching with Bonnie on the field and pranced over to them.

“Hey you two, where’s the captain?”

Cherith wondered, looking around for Caroline who was no where to be found.

“A no show as of now… what are you doing here?”

Elena asked her sister who was presently looking through the bleachers at the football field.

“Here to support you in your first practice. Also, any idea if Stefan took my advice to heart?”

Elena scoffed, smiling.

“Why don’t you go check and stop pretending to be here for me.”

Cherith grinned playfully.

“You know me too well. I’ll be back if he doesn’t show up. And super disappointed. In fact, I just might disapprove of him even more.”

Elena waved her off as Cherith bounced towards the football field and settled on the bleachers, hoping Stefan would at least show up.

The practice was rather boring, seeing as she wasn’t exactly interested in any of the guys or their practice, rather interested in whether Stefan would make it and cause a commotion or not.

She almost missed it though when Stefan walked towards Tanner and her eyes widened and she grinned as he spoke to the coach and she stood up, excited and screamed out.

“Whoop!! Go Stefan!!”

Clapping. Some of the players stopped what they were doing to stare at her and a clearly now embarrassed Stefan while Mr. Tanner only rolled his eyes at her and turned back to Stefan.

Their conversation went on for a minute or two, making Cherith slightly frustrated before Tanner pointed somewhere and Stefan jogged there and Cherith was suddenly excited.

Some minutes flew by and he returned wearing a practice jersey and Cherith jumped excitedly.

“Go Stefan!!!”

The practice game began and it suddenly seemed like the team, led by Tyler, was against Stefan.

It almost made Cherith pity him.

But rather she was interested in taking Tyler down a notch or two.

She still hadn’t forgotten what Jeremy had said about him forcing himself on Vicki.

She might not be that much of a fan of the girl but that didn’t mean she wasn’t all for female rights and the lot.

Stefan kept doing a great job on the field which led to Cherith cheering his name much to the anger of some on the field.

“Whooo! Go Stefan! Knock em dead! Ahahaahh!”

She chuckled out maniacally rather like a witch.

“Miss Gilbert! Would you quiet it down! You are distracting the players!”

Mr. Tanner shouted towards her frustrated and she grinned at him, shrugging.

“Sorry! Take them down Stefan!!”

Mr. Tanner sighed.

Even when Tyler knocked down Stefan and Cherith booed him, calling foul much to the exasperation of those present, it didn’t take away the smile on Elena’s face, nor the look of vindictiveness that grew on Cherith’s the more frustrated Tyler became.

She decided today was a good day after all.

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

After the whole practice, Cherith had hitched a ride with Leslie home as Elena was going to be getting some things for a dinner with Stefan apparently.

She might have cheered him on during practice but it didn’t mean he wasn’t still basically a stranger to her. She just really needed someone to take Tyler down a peg.

She would have if she could, but she wasn’t going to admit out loud that she wasn’t as strong as he was.

The asshole.

Cherith walked up the stairs and into her room, knowing Jenna wasn’t around and headed up to her room for a while and ended up falling asleep as she didn’t have much to do.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

Stefan walks into his bedroom, a small smile on his face as he remembered Cherith cheering him on earlier. He had honestly thought she didn’t like him, but maybe she liked him better than Tyler Lockwood. As he walked into his room, he saw his brother and sighed.

Damon was relaxed in a chair, reading through one of his journals, a mischievous look on his face.

“So, how was tryouts baby bro? Did you make the team? Oh, very Emerson, by the way”

He gestured to the journal in his hands.

“The way you reveal your soul with so many… adjectives.”

Stefan sped up to him and ripped the journal out of his hands.”

“Geez…”

Damon mumbled, though a smirk played on his lips.

“What are you doing here?”

Stefan asked suspiciously, looking at his brother with a frown.

He needed to know if Damon was going to be a huge problem, seeing as he knew bodies usually followed his elder brother wherever he went.

“I’ve come to apologize.”

Damon sighed as he stood up, walking up to Stefan, a regretful look on his face as Stefan crossed his arms.

“I've come to apologize. I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and...I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you. Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us.”

He finished softly, looking slightly meek and Stefan looked closely at his brother for any lie in his face.

He really wanted to believe his brother. Call him sentimental, but he’d always hoped Damon would change.

Damon though, couldn’t seem to keep his meek face as he struggled for a minute before a vicious grin appeared on his face.

“Sike.”

He said, and Stefan sighed.

“You know it doesn’t have to be this way.”

He tried to plead with Damon who just shrugged, walking around the room.

“Well of course it doesn’t.”

He reassures his brother but Stefan doesn’t believe him.

“And I saw Elena today, BTW. That means ‘by the way’.”

Stefan rolled his eyes.

“She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short shorts.”

Stefan suddenly grew still, glaring angrily at his brother who grinned.

“Just...simmer down, I didn't even go near her. I even spotted the littlest Gilbert from afar. She’s a pretty adorable thing, isn’t she? Like a ruby haired Barbie. Gonna break the hearts of men one day. I mean… those eyes!”

He gushed, trying to rile Stefan up and it seemed to walk as he gave Damon a stony look.

“She’s 15, Damon. Stay away from her.”

Damon waved him off.

“It’s okay, I won’t approach her. Besides, it’s Mystic Falls. We’ll meet eventually.”

He said promisingly and Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother, wondering just what he was up to.”

“And don’t worry about Elena anyway… I've got my own cheerleader now. Ooh, that reminds me...I gotta run. I have a date. Sweaty palms. Wish me luck.”

With that, he saunters out of the room, leaving Stefan to stare at him suspiciously and also nervousness steeping into his nerves.

It was never a good day when Damon was happy.

* * *

Cherith sat on the kitchen counter as she watched her sister and Bonnie hustle up some food for their dinner that evening.

It was rather amusing to watch as she crunched down on some snack.

Elena wasn’t a fan of cooking. Never had.

She had always been the preppy type who loved to party and hangout with friends.

Cherith on the other hand, had not abundance of friends, especially when she was homeschooled and so spent a lot of time with her mum which made her pick up a thing or two from her.

She’d actually volunteered to help her sister but Elena was being controlling and wanted to plan everything all by herself.

Cherith wanted… no, needed, to see where it would go.

“Okay then, You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture!”

Bonnie gushes as she bustles around the kitchen and Elena smiles, amused.

“Oh come on, Bonnie. That commercial's on a constant loop. Literally every hour or so!”

Elena says as she rinses some spoons and forks.

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?”

Cherith shrugged.

“It’s not that weird. I think about numbers most of the time.”

She added and Bonnie gives her a look.

“Well that’s because your IQ is well above the charts!”

Elena chuckled and added her own two cents.

“Well then maybe we should play the lottery.”

This time Bonnie gave her a look and she smiles before sighing.

“Well… have you talked to your Grams or something?”

Bonnie shook her head.

“No, thank you. She’s just gonna say I’m a witch. I don’t wanna be a witch. Do you wanna be a witch?”

Elena quickly shook her head.

“I don’t wanna be a witch.”

Cherith looked at the two of the exasperatedly.

“Well I do!”

The 2 of them stare at her amused.

“What? I could magic myself all the money and food I want! Maybe even use it against my enemies!”

Elena and Bonnie grin.

“You’re only 15 Cherry. You don’t have any enemies.”

Cherith reasoned what her sister had said and shrugged.

“True, but I’ll be older soon. It’s best to have a thing or two down your sleeves.”

Elena shook her head as she transferred the to-go food into a bowl and Cherith and Bonnie look unimpressed at the presentation.

“Putting it in a nice bowl isn’t gonna fool anyone Elena dear.”

Elena ignored her before moving to the drawers, not sure which one to open.

“Okay. Serving spoons… where are the serving spoons?”

She mumbled to herself.

“Middle drawer on your left.”

Bonnie and Cherith chorus together and the 2 turn to stare at each other in surprise. Cherith’s mixed with shock.

“Okay, I live here so I have the excuse to know where they are, but damn, Bonnie!”

Cherith chuckled and Bonnie raised her hands like 'you see!’

“Well you’ve been in this kitchen like a thousand times.”

Elena said and Bonnie looked at her unimpressed.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Just then, the doorbell rang and Cherith groaned while Elena perked up.

Well, at least he made Elena happy, was all Cherith grudgingly acknowledged.

“Great! He’s here!”

Elena squealed happily.

She then turned to reassure Bonnie who was suddenly nervous.

“Okay Bonnie, don’t be nervous… just be your normal loving self.”

With that, she turned to her sister who was still staring at her unimpressed, munching from her snack bag and sighed.

“As for you, try not to chase him off with your… off-putting energy.”

Cherith glared at her sister indignantly as she rushed to open the door and jumped down from the counter, going to keep the remaining snack, not noticing Bonnie correctly pick the right drawer for birthday candles, which had left her quite shaken.

* * *

Cherith grudgingly sat down for dinner as her sister packed food for her into her plate, giving her a stink eye to stay with them for dinner.

She grumbled under her throat about the unfairness of it all, deciding not to say anything and just eat from where she sat beside her sister.

It was super awkward, and honestly, Cherith was living for it, a small smile threatening to break forth across her face.

Bonnie definitely wasn’t interested in starting a conversation either, what with the battle of wills she was currently in with Elena.

Just then, Elena sighed, clearing her throat, and finally spoke up.

“So! Did Tanner give you a hard time today?”

Stefan turned to her.

“Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right.”

Elena grinned excitedly at him before turning to Bonnie.

“Bonnie you should have been there! You should’ve seen—”

“Yeah I heard.”

Bonnie cut her off, not interested in the conversation and Cherith snickered under her breath as the conversation ended again, the atmosphere getting even more awkward.

Elena must have heard her because she kicked Cherith under the table and Cherith sighed before trying to salvage the conversation.

“Hm, yes. He was rather good. At least he’s good for something. Next time I need you to embarrass Tyler, I’ll call you or something.”

“Cherith!”

Elena chided her, looking scandalized and Stefan chuckled, shaking his head.

“Its okay. I’ve come to understand Cherith’s always like this?”

Elena sighed and Cherith ignored them both.

“Oh you have no idea.”

She suddenly turned towards Bonnie again, a determined look on her face as she spoke.

“So Bonnie, why don’t you tell Stefan about your family?”

Bonnie looked at her best friend, dry faced.

“Divorced parents. No mum. Live with my dad.”

She replied in a monotonous voice which Elena wasn’t impressed by.

“No. About the witches.”

Bonnie gave her a look which Elena ignored, smiling at Stefan who suddenly looked interested.

“Bonnie’s family has a lineage of witches. It’s really cool.”

Bonnie scoffed.

“Cool isn’t the word I’d use.”

“But it’s a word I would.”

Cherith chirped in, making Bonnie shake her head at her.

“Well, it’s certainly interesting.”

Stefan suddenly spoke up and the 3 girls turned to him.

“I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s.”

“My family came by way of Salem.”

Bonnie added and Stefan looked surprised.

“Really?”

She nodded.

“Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non-conformity.”

A small grin filtered across Bonnie’s face and Cherith immediately knew Stefan was already winning her over.

If there was one thing girls liked, it was to be complimented.

“Yeah. They are.”

Elena beamed, shoulders dropping with relief as it seemed things would finally go smoothly from now on.

But just then, the bell rang, leaving those at the table confused.

Cherith turned to her sister with a frown.

“Did you invite someone else? Cause I think it’d be better for me to just take my food to my room.”

Elena gave her a look.

“No. I didn’t.”

With that, she stood up, walking towards the front door mumbling.

“I wonder who that could be.”

As she opened the door, she was met with a beaming Caroline holding dessert in her hands and next to her was Damon Salvatore.

“Surprise!! Bonnie said you were doing dinner , so we brought dessert.”

She chirped, leaving Elena slightly tongue tied, having not expected any other guests.

“Oh…”

“Hope you don’t mind.”

Damon finally spoke up, a charming smile on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile with Cherith, as she heard her sister open the door and the telltale voice of Caroline sounded in the hallway, Cherith sighed, wondering if this would turn into a party anytime soon.

Just then, Stefan’s face darkened as he stood up and went over to where Elena was.

Cherith exchanged a look with Bonnie who shrugged and continued with her food and Cherith stood up to go see what was taking them so long since it was only just Caroline… she hoped.

When she got there, a sigh escaped her lips as soon as she spotted a new face in the group.

He was tall, though not taller than Stefan, dressed in all black. He had black hair styles and striking intense silvery blue eyes.

He was also really good-looking, and Cherith idly wondered when good-looking guys like Stefan and this stranger began moving to boring Mystic Falls.

“You have a beautiful home, Elena.”

The stranger said, turning to Elena with a suspicious looking smirk.

Even the air around him gave a bad boy vibe but the way he looked at Cherith’s sister, she scrunched her nose up.

“Creep.”

She mumbled but he must have heard her as his head snapped towards her immediately, his gaze suddenly turning curious as he slowly walked up to her, his smile making her even more irritated.

He had this grin on his face that gave off arrogance, and one thing Cherith didn’t like, apart from meeting people, was arrogant people.

“Well hello there, you must be the Cherry I’ve been hearing all about.”

He spoke softly in a cooing like voice and Cherith decided she straight up disliked the fellow.

“That’s not my name. Only friends call me that. It’s Cherith to you.”

Elena gasped.

“Cherry!”

Cherith just stared up at him like she didn’t care and Damon’s grin widened, like he was amused.

“Of course. Cherith. I’m Damon, Stefan’s brother.”

Cherith immediately groaned, turning to look at a slightly amused Stefan.

“What? There’s two of your kind around?”

Damon’s eyebrow raised.

“At least you’re following Caroline. That’s better than two rats sniffing my sister.”

With that, she turned and walked off, not seeing Elena’s regretful face or Damon’s slightly surprised look.

“I should have just let her eat in her room.”

Elena mumbled and Stefan turned back to his brother, face now stony and serious as he guided Elena back in, Damon’s face going back to it’s devious look as he followed them.

“I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it.”

Caroline gushed, looking at Stefan with a grin as everyone settled in the living room. Stefan and Elena together, Caroline and Damon together and Cherith cocooning with Bonnie.

“That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it.”

Damon added and Cherith snickered under her breath at the heated look Stefan gave his brother.

Wow, they must be a lot of bad blood between this two, and she just met them!

As much as Stefan was still as stranger to her, this other brother was even worse than a stranger to her.

And besides… Stefan embarrassed Tyler earlier, maybe she could cut him some slack, especially with his brother seeming so… unlikable.

“I should have just let her eat in her room.”

Elena mumbled and Stefan turned back to his brother, face now stony and serious as he guided Elena back in, Damon’s face going back to it’s devious look as he followed them.

* * *

“I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it.”

Caroline gushed, looking at Stefan with a grin as everyone settled in the living room. Stefan and Elena together, Caroline and Damon together and Cherith cocooning with Bonnie.

“That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it.”

Damon added and Cherith snickered under her breath at the heated look Stefan gave his brother.

Wow, they must be a lot of bad blood between this two, and she just met them!

As much as Stefan was still as stranger to her, this other brother was even worse than a stranger to her.

And besides… Stefan embarrassed Tyler earlier, maybe she could cut him some slack, especially with his brother seeming so… unlikable.

“Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun.”

She chuckled, probably remembering the old days and everyone turned to her incredulously.

Cherith glared at her, wondering if it would be acceptable for her to throw her cup at Caroline’s head.

Caroline seemed to suddenly realize what she said as she quietened.

“And I say that with complete sensitivity.”

She assured them and Cherith grimaced, before grabbing a handful of her caramel popcorn and throwing it at Caroline’s head, some sticking to it and also Stefan’s brother.

Not that she cared.

“That’s a low blow Caroline.”

Cherith said, unimpressed by the girl who looked sorry as she tried to pull the sticky snack from her hair while Stefan’s brother stared at her slightly surprised and Elena and Bonnie smile.

Stefan just stared at her amused before glaring back at his brother.

Poor boy was having a hard time trying to enjoy his dinner with Elena.

“Cherith!”

Cherith waved her sister off.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be free of me soon. But Caroline was being blonde.”

Elena sighed and Stefan’s brother, as now dubbed in Cherith’s head, smirked before turning to Elena, trying to look understanding.

“I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die.”

Stefan finally cut in this time.

“We don’t need to get into that right now.”

He stared at his brother stonily and his brother nodded.

“Of course. You’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. I mean, the last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.”

He blinked at his brother, shaking his head and Cherith sighed as Elena sighed, looking uncomfortable.

“You don’t want to bring her up yet you ended up doing that…”

Cherith mumbled under her throat to herself, not noticing Damon looking at her.

Cherith sighed again before standing up, done with the whole group.

“I can’t take this anymore Elena, I’m going to bed. Enjoy whatever this is. Night Bonnie, Caroline, Stefan and Stefan’s brother.”

Stefan’s brother raised his eyebrow at her, amused and she rolled her eyes, trying to remember his name.

“Right. Night Damien.”

She said, walking out and he called out to her.

“It’s Damon.”

Cherith answered him back disgruntled.

“That’s what I said.”

As she walked up, Cherith well and truly hoped for Elena’s sake that the dinner would go well and not end up causing any fights between her and Stefan.

She sighed.

Drama everywhere.

“Bunch of dramatic oldies…”

She mumbled as she entered her room.

* * *

Some moments later.

As soon as Caroline left to join the girls in the kitchen, well more like Damon compelled her, Stefan turned to his brother.

“They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to!”

He tried to reason quietly with his brother who tutted at him.

“Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking.”

He grinned maliciously and Stefan sighed, agitated.

“All right, you've had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to meet Elena, good for you. Now it's time for you to go.”

Damon smiled at his brother.

“That's not a problem. Because...I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with your little cheerleader whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me. I might even decide to visit Cherry berry. Spunky little thing isn’t she? Definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with, give her a little while. Ah… it really is good to be back home… don’t you think so?”

He smirked, patting his brother on the shoulder and relaxing into the sofa as Stefan stared listlessly at his brother, not sure what to do.

* * *

September 12th.

Cherith rushed over to Leslie who was donned up in her cheerleading outfit, her dark brown hair in a high ponytail as she laughed at something one of her friends said.

As soon as she caught sight of Cherith, she excused herself from her friends and walked over to her with a grin.

“Hey Cherry! Ready for today?”

She grinned excitedly and Cherith rolled her eyes.

“Not really. I’m not a football player, nor am I a cheerleader so…”

She shrugged and Leslie huffed.

“So? What do you mean so?! You’re still a freaking timber wolf! Live a little!”

Cherith scoffed before shuddering slightly which Leslie frowned at.

“You okay?”

“I dunno. I woke up this morning feeling pretty odd. Like cold… but on the inside. Maybe I’m coming down with something. I don’t know”

Leslie frowned.

“You should probably see the school nurse if it gets worse.”

Cherith makes a noise in her throat, non-committal.

Ever since she woke up, she’d had this feeling like she was… expecting something. The hairs on her body would occasionally raise and her breath would shudder.

It was odd. Maybe she really was catching a cold, but, she looked around.

The sun was shining and it was slightly hot today.

Maybe she really was the odd one of Mystic Falls after all.

“Oh my God!”

Leslie squealed excitedly, and Cherith looked at her staring across and turns to where she was looking.

Stefan was in the process of putting a necklace around Elena’s neck and Cherith snorted, though a small smile appeared across her face once she noticed the elated look on her sister’s face.

It had really been quit a while since she’d seen Elena so… happy.

“Ugh! Why aren’t there nice boys like him around to snatch!”

Leslie groaned and Cherith chuckled.

“Really wish Stefan had a brother.”

At that, Cherith grimaced at the sudden remembrance of Stefan’s brother. Damon or Damien.

“Um, actually he does.”

Leslie’s neck whipped to look at her in a second and Cherith idly wondered if her friends neck was doing okay or not.

“He does?!”

She asked excitedly but Cherith quickly cut her off.

“But don’t get your hopes too high anyways, he’s already taken. By Caroline at that.”

Leslie scowled before a thoughtful look spread across her face.

“Hm, must have been the guy who showed up during practice yesterday.”

Cherith shrugged.

“Wouldn’t know. Didn’t spot whoever that was. But if he did have black hair and an air of pride then he certainly was the one.”

Leslie groaned morosely.

“I guess I wasn’t in luck after all”

“Don’t feel too disappointed anyway. I met him already and I can already tell that he’s a grade A asshole.”

Cherith reassures her friend and Leslie snorted.

“I don’t think I can take your words seriously though. Almost everyone is an asshole to you.”

Cherith furrowed her brow in thought before shrugging.

“Come on, let’s head in.”

* * *

Cherith frowned as the crowd cheered boisterously and people around her screamed in her ears till their voices were hoarse.

She grunted, wondering exactly why she’d let Leslie convince her to show up, when the game wasn’t even starting yet.

Coach Tanner stood on a stand, the football team by his side, cheerleaders in front of the crowd with their pom-poms and the crowd which consisted mainly of youths, screaming and chanting occasionally.

“We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!”

He yelled and the crowd went crazy, Cherith wincing at how super loud and boisterous it was.

She looked around and spotted Elena at the front, staring at Stefan with moony eyes which he returned to her and Cherith rolled her eyes.

It seemed she’d have to endure Stefan. He didn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Cherith looked around, spotting familiar faces all around.

Mystic Falls really was a small town after all.

Just then, she heard some shouts coming from where the cars were packed and saw Elena rushing towards it.

With a frown, Cherith followed after her, slowly but surely as she excused her way through the crowd just in time to see Stefan push Tyler off of her brother who was presently bleeding.

“Jeremy!”

She shouted out in surprise, jogging over to him as he grabbed a broken bottle and took a swipe at Tyler.

Cherith covered her eyes in horror, expecting to hear screams soon after, but when she didn’t, she opened her eyes and saw the bottle on the floor and Elena checking on Jeremy who kept pushing her away.

Cherith ran over to her siblings immediately.

“What the hell Jeremy! Put your head up, you’re bleeding.”

Jeremy slapped her hand away.

“I’m fine!”

He spat at her, using his cloth to wipe the blood away and Elena frowned at him, turning to Stefan with a look of concern as Cherith looked at her brother.

“You okay?”

She asked rather meekly, knowing Jeremy was pissed at the moment and whenever he was drunk, he was usually harsher than usual.

She wasn’t someone to be pushed around, yes, but this was her brother.

“I’m fine. Just stop.”

He sighed, walking away and Cherith watched him go, turning to glare at Tyler who Matt was pushing away.

She was really beginning to hate him, and that said a lot as Cherith rarely deemed anyone worthy of her stronger feelings.

She’d make him pay. One way or the other.

“No, no, no… I saw it. The glass cut your hand. It was—”

Cherith turned at the sound of her sister’s incredulous voice.

“It's ok. I'm ok. It's almost kick-off time, all right? So, um, I'll, uh, I'll see you after the game.”

Stefan said, before walking off, leaving Elena staring at his back, confused.

Cherith walked up to her sister.

“Is everything okay?”

Elena blinked confusedly, shaking her head slightly.

“I… I don’t know. I mean, I thought he got cut but… obviously not.”

She mumbled to herself and Cherith patted her sister comfortingly.

“It’s okay. I guess you’re still high on the adrenaline or something.”

Elena nodded, though she didn’t look too confused.

She turned to her sister.

“Um, I’ll be right back. I uh, need to go see Bonnie.”

With that, she excused herself, leaving Cherith in the now dispersing crowd as everyone prepared to go watch the game.

As Cherith prepared to go, she hunched down as a cold feeling passed right through her, like something extra chilly had passed right through her and she shivered, the hairs on her body raised and her eyes filtered close as she tried to compose herself by crouching.

She wasn’t so sure what was happening to her but she knew she didn’t like the feeling. At all.

It was… odd.

It felt like she’d died inside, and she hated that feeling.

She remembered feeling it when her parents passed, for a while.

After ending up by the river bank next to Elena the day her parents passed, she had ended up in a coma for some days as apparently she took in more water than Elena and she was apparently very lucky to be alive. The doctors had said so.

But she hadn’t felt lucky as the first few days after she woke up, this same feeling was all she felt.

And now it was happening again, she gasped suddenly, standing up, a hand to her chest as she walked around, deciding on no destination except for the one she suddenly felt she wanted to go to.

* * *

Cherith walked for a bit, before finding herself in the packing lot by the locker room.

It was quite dark there and super cold.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, her legs not stopping as she slowly kept walking for some reason. It just felt like she had a destination but she had no idea where.

She walked towards the back double doors, about to head in when she stopped, her heartbeat quickening, as she looked towards a black car packed by the side.

She suddenly willed herself to walk towards the car, not hearing footsteps walking out

“Cherry?”

She heard Matt’s voice behind her but she ignored him, walking slowly towards the car, goosebumps on her hands and legs when she suddenly stopped, bile in her throat at what she saw.

“Oh my God!”

She gasped out, her body shaking as she collapsed to the ground on her knees, sobbing out.

Matt quickly rushed towards her, concerned.

“Cherry, you okay?”

He stopped short as soon as he saw the body.

Mr. Tanner’s body.

His neck ripped out viciously band he brought Cherith’s sobbing face into his chest so she could stop staring at the wrangled body.

Matt gasped out in shock and fear as he turned his head away from the scene and towards the door where he could hear some voices.

“Somebody help!”

* * *

The police soon arrived.

A large crowd gathered by the side of the scene behind a police line and Bonnie stood with them, looking at the scene intensely, tears in her eyes.

She spots a license plate at the scene of the crime which read "BLDG 8", by the side, the black car which had been parked where the death occurred was "FHT 14", Bonnie’s breathing picked up as she looked shaken, as on the ground, where the body was found, was the number 22.

A tear slid down Bonnie’s face as she suddenly looked horrified at her realization.

Not sure what to do.

* * *

“You sure you’re okay Cherry?”

Elena hugged her sister who sat by the booth of her car, still shaken, as she hugged herself.

Cherith swallowed down, her eyes slightly dull as she nodded, her mind still on the body and how it looked, especially the neck.

She tightened her eyes and Elena sighed, running her hand through her sister’s hair while Stefan looked at her, concerned and anger in his eyes.

“What kind of animal could be doing all this? Why would it come out of the woods and attack someone in the middle of town?”

Elena spoke, frustrated as she hugged her baby sister, looking concerned for her.

She knew it would be traumatizing for her, having seen a body not long after their parents death, and apparently the body had been mangled up too.

Stefan sighed.

“I don’t know… I really don’t.”

He spoke softly and Elena drew back from her sister, looking at her.

“Why were you behind the school, by the way? Were you looking for something? Why were you alone.”

Cherith shuddered, not sure what to say.

“No, I… I just… I don’t even know…”

She whispered, looking vulnerable and Elena’s heart broke as she brought her sister closer to herself.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay…”

Cherith nodded slightly, not saying a thing.

Elena then turned to Stefan, suddenly remembering something.

“I was so sure you cut your hand back there.”

Stefan shook his head.

“I’m fine… I’m fine okay?... That’s what matters.”

He assured her and Elena nods, giving him a small smile and extending a hand for him to hold, squeezing it reassuringly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Here's episode/chapter 3!
> 
> Hope you like it and tell me what you all think.
> 
> Lol, it wasn't until I was about to post the chapter that I realized during the dinner scene that Cherith basically called Stefan and Damon rats! Lmao!
> 
> What do you all also think about her character??
> 
> PLEASE COMMENT!!!! I LOVE TO READ THOSE!


	4. Family Ties

**September 22nd.**

Stefan gasps as he wakes up from his nightmare, breathing heavily as he sat up on his bed.

“Bad dream?”

Damon asked from where he sat in Stefan’s room.

“Do you know how easy it was to get into your head just now? You really need some human blood. It might even the playing field. Football reference.”

He smirked, pausing, before speaking again.

“Too soon?”

At that, a pissed Stefan blurs from his bed to a table, picking up a knife and throwing it right at Damon which impales him by his chest.

Damon sighed, standing up and easily removing it.

“Alright. I deserve that. But, you should know, they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing all those people and Tanner.”

Stefan gave him an unimpressed look, knowing he was staring directly at the culprit after all.

“What are you talking about?”

“It was a mountain lion. Really big one! It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news. ‘Deadly beast captured. All's well in Mystic Falls'.”

He drags with his hand and Stefan’s eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

“Why would you cover your tracks?”

Damon shrugged walking around.

“I've decided to stay a while. And I'm just having way too much fun here with you and Elena.”

He smiles deviously and Stefan scoffs.

“You can’t touch her now.”

Damon smirked.

Well, the vervain keeps me out of her head. Maybe that's not my target.”

He gives a rather salacious grin that riled Stefan and Damon continued his speech.

“Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion. Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift.”

He finished, walking up to his brother and just then with his vampire speed, stabs Stefan in his stomach who grunts, falling to his knees.

Damon stares at his designer black shirt and frowns at his brother.

“This is John Varvatos dude. Dick. Move.”

With that, he saunters out of Stefan’s room, who removes the knife from his stomach with a grunt, lifting his shirt to each as the wound closes up, leaving only a trail of blood.

He stares at the door his brother left from with an angry glare.

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

Cherith sighed as she jogged down the stairs in a pair of black jogging shorts and a light pink tank, her hair up in a ponytail and dark bags under her eyes.

It had been over a week since Tanner’s death and she was still having trouble sleeping.

Of course, it was to be expected, what with the messed up way she found Tanner. She remembered the night it’d happened, she’d woken up to puke her stomach out, especially when she kept having flashes of his mangled, bitten out neck.

Cherith squeezed her eyes shut and sighed.

That was definitely something she wished she couldn’t remember, but she had a rather eidetic memory and it definitely wasn’t helping her as if this moment.

Apart from Tanner’s body always appearing in her nightmares, she also remember a rather occurring dream she’d been having since before Tanner’s death.

The one she still had this morning again, with the sky a dark black and red lightning everywhere and it being in her POV as she looks down and sees her hands covered in blood.

Now though, a few feet away from her, Tanner’s body would appear.

She idly wondered if she’d subconsciously known there would be a death and she’d be there to see the body.

Cherith immediately sighed, shaking he head and scoffing at herself for even thinking such a thing possible.

“Must be because I’m starving” she muttered to herself, walking into the kitchen where Elena, Jenna and Jeremy were.

Elena cleaning what looked to be some old heirlooms.

“Morning…”

Cherith groaned as she pushed Jeremy out of her way and opened the fridge and he looked at her.

“Well you look like a zombie.”

With that, Cherith turned to him with a glare as she brought out a jug of milk and grabbed herself a bowl.

“Too bad I can’t eat your brain then cause you don’t have one.”

She sniped back at him and he gave her the middle finger which she returned, Elena sighing at the two and Jenna just plain up ignoring them.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Elena went to open it.

Cherith grabbed some cereal from the kitchenette and poured it into her bowl with milk and began slurping.

“You okay Cherry?”

Jenna asked the youngest of the Gilbert clan who just waved her spoon at her, tired of the people who kept asking her if she was okay ever since she saw a dead body up close and personal.

Even Leslie became super concerned for her and allowed her go home whenever she wanted instead of forcing her to hangout with her and her other friends.

It wasn’t like she could say she wasn’t okay. They’d get even more concerned for her mental health and maybe even end up hiring a therapist or something.

Ew.

And she knew deep down that her mind had imprinted the image of Tanner and so she wasn’t forgetting it soon, she was deeply affected by his death because of that and even if she never truly liked the man, it wasn’t like she wished him dead after all.

Not seriously, that is.

Cherith looked towards where Elena had left and turned to Jenna.

“Wonder who that was.”

“Must be Stefan. Ah… young love.”

Jenna sighed.

“Seems like ages ago.”

Jeremy gave her a look.

“Aren’t you just 29?”

Jenna scoffed, looking at Cherith who was now rinsing her bowl.

“Just 29, he says. When you’re my age, you’ll understand better.”

Cherith snorted.

* * *

**Mystic Grill.**

“Woah, wait… you’re taking Damon Salvatore to the founder’s party? What about me?”

Bonnie said incredulously as she settled down with Caroline who shrugged uncaring.

“Just go with Elena.”

“But she’s asking Stefan!”

“Then go with Cherry.”

Bonnie sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed a menu.

“What about your mum though… is she okay with you bringing Damon?”

Caroline scoffed.

“And I’m supposed to care, why?”

“Cause he’s older… sexy, danger guy.”

She finished rather lamely and Caroline grinned at her.

“Older sexy danger guy? Is that an official witch Twitter tweet?”

Bonnie looked at her unimpressed.

“No more witch jokes okay? That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me all freaked out.”

Caroline nodded.

“Okay, fine. And besides… Damon's not dangerous. You know, he just has a lot of issues with his brother. You know, like major, deep-rooted drama.”

Bonnie suddenly looked super interested.

“Like…??”

Caroline bit her lip, unsure whether to talk or not.

“I’m not really supposed to say anything.”

At that, Bonnie scoffed.

“Caroline Forbes! When have you ever kept a secret in your life??”

Caroline sighed, looking indecisive for a minute before bringing her head closer to Bonnie’s who was now attentive.

“Okay. But you can’t tell Elena.”

Bonnie grins excitedly.

“No.”

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

Later in the afternoon, Cherith sat in the living room, playing some video games when the doorbell rang and Jeremy who was coming down the stairs opened it.

She would have continued playing if not for the voice she heard.

“I’m here for my mum. I’m supposed to pick up a box of stuff.”

Cherith head snapped towards the door and she sighed, turning her head back to her game while shouting towards Jeremy.

“Close the door on his face Jeremy!”

Tyler sighed and a side smile grew on Jeremy’s face who contemplated doing just that when Elena walked towards them, a box in hand.

“It’s right here. And please, be careful with that. They’re really important.”

“Yeah be careful with it dick.”

Jeremy added as Tyler took the box from Elena and Cherith snickered and Tyler looked at him slightly frustrated.

“Hey. Not now, okay guys, please?”

“I’m fine. He’s just being a punk.”

Tyler spoke, gesturing towards Jeremy and Cherith scoffed under her breath.

“We all know you deserve much more than the word dick.”

“I got your punk.”

Jeremy spoke back and Elena sighed.

“Look Tyler, I think you should go. Just tell your mum that I’ll see her tonight.”

With that, Elena turned to walk away after giving him a smile and Tyler was about to walk away as well when he stopped, turning to Jeremy.

“Hey, would it make ant difference if I told you I actually liked Vicki?”

Jeremy scoffed.

“Not even if you meant it.”

And slammed the door on Tyler’s face and Cherith whooped.

“Yep! That’s my brother!”

Jeremy scoffed, a grin on his face and Elena who was nearby gave her a look.

“Don’t encourage him.”

Cherith ignored her.

* * *

**September 24th. Founder’s Ball.**

Cherith stared at her opened wardrobe, hands on her waist as she contemplated what she was going to wear for the founder’s ball.

She’d kept on procrastinating picking a dress till last minute and now, she had no idea what to wear.

She sighed, crossing her arms.

It wasn’t like people were expecting her to mingle much anyways. Just show her face for a while and see if she could convince Jenna to take her back home.

Maybe she’d run into Leslie too, which was a very high possibility as her mother had recently gone back to UCLA and so she wouldn’t be too busy. Maybe she could even stay over at her place for the night.

Might be a good idea.

Her eyes finally settled on a crystal blue satin like armless gown fit at the waist but flared to her knees and she coupled with a simple pair of black pumps and a silver bracelet, her hair in a half up bun and the rest falling over her back.

When she was done, putting some light lip gloss, she smiled at herself in her mirror, grinning at a job well done and went down the stairs as she was hitching a ride with her aunt since she didn’t want to be a 3rd wheel with Elena and Stefan.

When she got to the Lockwood mansion, she walked in with her aunt, giving fake smiles to the mayor and his pretentious wife.

Honestly, those two perfectly for one another.

Without so much as a glance in her aunt’s direction, who coincidentally looked like she was searching out someone, she walked away, looking around for any sign of her friend. Or more familiar faces.

“Hey you!”

Leslie greeted her with a grin and Cherith turned to see her friend dressed in a golden like gown that fell just above her knees and slightly skin tight, with black heels, her hair done up in waves and light make up on.

“Hi Les! You look good!”

Leslie grinned, twirling, a tiny purse in her hand.

“Thanks! And you clean up nicely! Wow! I’ve seen a bunch of guys staring at you as well. You know you should dress up more often.”

Cherith grimaced, looking around and indeed she spotted some people looking at her.

She rolled her eyes, making a grab for a glass of champagne.

“No, thank you. I prefer to live in the shadows.”

Leslie scoffed, slapping Cherith’s hand away from the champagne glass, making her pout.

“Pout all you want, but if you’re going to ignore the fiery beauty that you are just so you have some comfort, then you don’t deserve my help in sneaking you any drink.”

Cherith scoffed, looking around before her eyes found her aunt and that TV reporter guy she forgot his name.

Leslie whistled lowly.

“Wow, your aunt had great taste!”

Cherith chuckled.

“But according to her she has pretty bad taste in men. He’s one of her exes or something. I think the asshole cheated on her.”

“Ew. Shame on him then, Jenna’s hot!”

Cherith nodded sagely.

“That, we can agree on…”

Suddenly her face turned devious.

“Maybe I should play a practical joke on him.”

Cherith mumbled under her breath and Leslie scoffed.

“Yeah, no. There’s no way I’m helping you prank a freaking TV reporter. I mean, what if he finds out and says something devious about me on TV??”

Cherith sighed, ignoring her friend who suddenly perked up.

“Oh! I see Chad Davis! And Mallory’s no where around him! Must be my lucky day. I’ll be right back!”

With that, she rushed away towards her target and Cherith grinned before turning to look around, slightly bored.

She walked slowly around before she spotted Elena, Caroline, Stefan and Damon Salvatore who she’d finally gotten his name but she wouldn’t let him the have satisfaction of knowing that for a while.

“Oh Elena! I’m bored out of my mind!”

She groaned as she reached where they were, looking at some paper hanging on the wall.

The quartet turned to her, Elena smiling at her sister.

“Wow, you look miserable.”

Caroline smirked and Cherith glared at her.

“Look who’s talking, you came her with what’s his face?”

She snarked back, pointing towards Damon who sighed and Stefan grinned.

“Cherry berry, how could you keep forgetting my name?”

Cherith turned to him disgruntled.

“That name is disgusting. Never say it again.”

“Well, if you’re that bored, you should have listened to my advice of dating hot seniors but here you are now.”

Cherith have Caroline a dry look before turning to her sister.

“You’re not even gonna help me out here?”

Elena smiled, shrugging.

“Go find Leslie or Jenna. Bonnie’s around here somewhere too.”

Cherith scoffed at her sister before turning to Stefan.

“See, this is what you’re gonna go through with princess Elena when you get to know her more. She doesn’t truly care for her loved ones.”

With that, she stomps away, before stopping, coming back and yanking a champagne glass that was in Elena’s hand, gulping it down, ignoring her sister’s cry of protest and shoving the empty glass back into her sister’s hand and giving her a sly grin.

“Now you’ve done something important.”

With that, she walked away, ignoring Elena’s

“I’ll tell Jenna, Cherith Gilbert!”

But Cherith had already walked away.

* * *

The sky was already dark now and the party was still in full bloom and now that it was darker, Cherith found it easier to sneak a glass or two if champagne and drink it down in one go.

You know what they say, drinking at least 2 glasses of champagne in the space of an hour could make you drunk.

Cherith learnt that soon enough.

It wasn’t exactly her first time taking alcohol, what with sneaking around the house whenever her parents weren’t around but just sips were all she had and so, now after having at least 4 glasses of champagne, she was already getting tipsy as she walked around, pushing through some people.

She went up the stairs, walking around, feeling light headed a bit.

She walked around slightly before entering a room where she found herself staring at Caroline and Damon who was in the process of pocketing something.

The 2 turned to her and she chuckled lowly.

“Wow, did I interrupt a lover’s tryst? Hold up, did I just say tryst?”

She muttered to herself as she turned towards Damon who looked at her carefully.

“Did you steal something? Or was that a condom you were pocketing?”

Caroline’s eyes widened and Cherith quickly raised her and albeit rather sluggishly.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t see nothing. You both can… go back to whatever it is you were doing.”

She quipped, snickering when she turned, about to leave when Damon was suddenly in front of her, making her startled.

She turned back to a slightly scared Caroline.

“Weren’t you there just a minute—”

As she turned back to him, he held her shoulders, making her look into his eyes.

“Forget everything you saw in this room. You were alone and tired so you came to sit for a bit.”

He commanded and Cherith looked straight at him, confused at whatever the hell he was saying.

Damon, thinking it worked because of how quiet she was, motioned for Caroline to follow him as he walked out, Caroline rushing after him, turning to stare at Cherith concernedly before she too left.

Cherith though, was in a state of confusion.

She should forget everything she saw?

Just then, slight anger filled her as she scoffed.

“Who does he think he is? ‘Forget everything you saw in this room'.”

She mocked his voice as she walked around in circles, slightly stumbling in her pumps.

“Why I should stab him in his right eye! See how he’d like that!”

She huffed, before crossing her arms.

“And why did he look into my eyes like that anyways? Did he expect me to swoon and listen to his words? I ought to go and give him some words of mine!”

She mumbled to herself, suddenly determined to punch him as she walked out of the room.

As soon as she got down the stairs though, she ran right into Jenna.

“Hey… Jenna…”

She greeted with a nervous laugh and Jenna looked at her suspiciously before sniffing her breath and her eyes narrowed.

“Have you been drinking?”

Cherith’s eyes widened as she shook her head.

“What? Me? No! Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I’m the good child, Jenna. The parents were lucky to have me.”

She chuckled uncontrollably, ignoring her aunt’s unamused look before her chuckle began dying down at the sudden remembrance of her parents again.

Being slightly drunk and depressive combined was not a good feeling as her eyes suddenly became watery.

Jenna’s face softened.

“Cherry, are you okay?”

Cherry nodded, but a tear fell down her face and she cleaned it, sniffling.

“What? Yeah. No, I’m fine.”

She tried to assure her aunt who didn’t look like she believed her.

“Come on.”

She said, holding her niece’s hand and dragging her.

“I was preparing to leave anyway, let’s go.”

“What? No! I still have a score to settle!”

Cherith whined just as she saw a stony looking Damon walk past them and she groaned.

“Aunt Jenna!”

“No. I leave you alone for a few hours and you turn into a less delinquent Jeremy? Yeah no, I don’t need you returning home with half your hair gone. Your mother would visit me from the after life for not taking care of her daughter’s glorious ruby hair.”

Cherith sighed, giving up and letting her aunt drag her out of the Lockwood mansion and towards her car to head on home.

* * *

Caroline wakes up on the lawn outside the Lockwood mansion, in pain, pressing her neck slightly and wincing.

She stood up, noticing the crystal necklace Damon had taken earlier was in the grass and grabbed it, running her hand through it shakily and stood up.

“Caroline?”

She heard Elena’s voice a bit behind her and quickly hid the necklace in her purse.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Elena sighed as she walked over to her friend and frowned at how shaken she was and her erratic breathing.

“Caroline? Are you okay?”

She asked softly and Caroline slowly turned to her, her heartbeat erratic as she shook even more.

“Yeah. I’m fine”

She stuttered but Elena wasn’t believing a word she said.

“Caroline, what happened?”

Caroline only kept nodding and shaking, terrified.

“I’m fine.”

“No. Caroline. You’re shaking. What—”

Elena spoke aghast and even more concerned about her usually upbeat friend who was still shaking uncontrollably.

“I’m fine!”

Elena shook her head.

“Caroline. Come here, come here…”

She brought her close to her, hugging her softly and Caroline finally burst into heart wrenching sobs and Elena did her best to comfort her shaken friend.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

Stefan and Zach Salvatore threw Damon down and into the vervain cellar as he groaned, in and out of it as the locked the metal door shut.

Stefan looked in, staring at his slightly pitiful brother, a frown on his face as he remembered the lives Damon had taken and the way he had used Caroline.

“I did what I had to do… to protect Elena. To protect everyone.”

He whispered at his brother.

“Yes, Damon, the headline reads 'Deadly beast captured. All is well in Mystic Falls'.”

Was the last thing he said as he turned and walked away, a small part of him finally relieved, Zach walking with him.

* * *

**Lockwood Residence.**

“Thank you for staying late.”

Mayor Lockwood spoke as he walked into a closed room where some Mystic Falls residents sat in.

It consisted of Carol Lockwood, the Mayor’s wife, Sheriff Forbes, and Logan Fell, all members of the Founding families.

“Did you get the Gilbert watch?”

Sheriff Forbes asked Carol who shook her head where she sat, legs crossed.

“She claims it’s still packed away in her parents' things.”

“I can get it.”

Logan quipped as he looked at all of them and sheriff Forbes nodded.

“Good. Because we’re going to need it.”

Mayor Lockwood sighed, looking serious.

“Are you sure?”

“Five bodies all drained of blood? I’m certain.”

She said matter of fact.

“They’ve come back.”

Logan Fell said, looking at them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So!
> 
> What do you all think??!!!
> 
> Should I continue or not?!


	5. You're Undead To Me

September 28th.

  
Cherith woke up, just laying in bed, staring at her ceiling the following morning.

  
She had no idea why but she felt she wanted to remember something, but had no idea exactly what it was.

  
Sitting up, Cherith let out a small hiss at the headache that rushed through her head and she groaned, cradling her head.

  
“What the hell?”  
She muttered as she stood up and left her room, heading towards the bathroom for some aspirin.

  
At the same time, Elena walked out of her room, heading towards the bathroom as well.

  
Cherith raised her hand, stopping her sister.

  
“Wait. Lemme just grab some aspirin and you’re free to do whatever you want.”

  
Elena stopped, looking at her sister confused.

  
“Are you okay?”

  
Cherith groaned shaking her head and giving her sister the stink eye and Elena nodded as she moved to open the door.

  
“I guess you’re not.”

  
As soon as she opened the door though, she stopped, shocked as she found herself face to face with Vicki Donovan brushing her teeth and wearing a pair of Jeremy’s black shirts.

  
Cherith blinked at her, before pushing her way past the other 2 girls, not deeming any worth her time.

  
“Uhh…”

  
“I-I'm sorry… I’m almost done.”  
Vicki replied but Elena shook her head as Cherith walked past them again with the bottle of aspirin and went down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  
Jenna was sat in the kitchen, working on her thesis when she looked up.

  
“Well morning sunshine.”

  
Cherith groaned.

  
“Please… no…”  
She mumbled as she took the aspirin and gulped it down with water.

  
“What’s with you?”

  
“I dunno, I suddenly woke up this morning with a massive headache. It wasn’t even like this the morning after the founder’s ball thing.”

  
Jenna grinned at her.  
“Yeah well, I guess it’s the universe’s way of punishing you on my behalf.”

  
Cherith rewarded that with sticking her tongue out at Jenna who chuckled, going back to her work.

  
“Well.”

  
Cherith said, standing up.  
“I have to go get ready for school. See you later.”

  
“Sure.”

  
As Cherith walked up the stairs, she idly wondered why she hadn’t even mentioned Vicki to her aunt but ignored it.

  
She wasn’t a snitch, especially when it wasn’t a dangerous secret.

  
But she had a guess that her aunt already knew.

  
She could be sneaky when she wanted.  
Also, she had a feeling Elena would tattle anyway.

  
She always was the goody two shoes.

* * *

**Mystic Falls High.**

  
Cherith walked into the school building, head buried in a brown wooly scarf and looking like a hobo as she tried to drown out the noise of the hallway.

  
“Hey Cherry, what’s with the scarf? Are you trying to rock being a babushka?”  
She joked and Cherith gave her a dry look.

  
“You’re not funny.”

  
Leslie scoffed.  
“Oh, but I am honey.”

  
Just then, Caroline walked up to them, looking all preppy and bouncy as she usually was.

  
“Sexy suds car wash is tomorrow. I know you’ll be there Leslie. As for you Cherith, if you don’t at least show up to support your sister and friends, I’ll introduce you to a lot of boys.”  
She threatened with a smile and Cherith glared at her.

  
“What’s this, make Cherith Gilbert angry day?”  
She snarked before wincing and holding her head.

  
“I swear it’s you who gave me this headache Caroline. I must have known you’d be coming to me with bad news.”

  
Caroline huffed though a smile was on her face as she softly patted Cherith’s forehead.

  
“See you there!”  
She gestured towards her groupies who were behind her and they all walked away and Leslie grinned.

  
“Looks like I’ll be seeing you there then.”  
Cherith grudgingly nodded as they headed to class.

  
“I guess. Not like I have a choice. I’ll just come with Jenna and cocoon somewhere in the shades.”

  
Leslie chuckled.  
“Whatever you say. Anyways, this gives me the opportunity to try out this new bikini set I bought last summer in LA.”

  
She then turned to Cherith, curious.  
“Think Stefan’s brother would show up?”

  
Cherith shrugged.  
“I don’t know. That question's for Stefan himself.”

  
Leslie scoffed, fanning herself dramatically.

  
“Please! Like I actually have the guts to approach such handsomeness. I can’t even approach Chad Davis and we grew up in the same town!”

  
“Too bad for you then.”

* * *

**Later that afternoon.**

  
**Mystic Grill.**

  
Elena sighed again as she checked her time and went back to playing pool with Matt who looked at her.

  
“How late is he?”  
He asked curiously and Elena sighed, slightly impatient and angry.

  
“Hitting the hour mark. Nothing's wrong though. Which means I'm not talking boy problems with you.”

  
She gave him a playful look and he scoffed, smiling as she cues the ball.

  
“Good. I mean, it’s not like we were ever best friends or anything.”

  
He mocked her and she grinned before sighing.

  
“Okay, fine. Here goes… What do you think of Stefan?”  
She asked curiously.

  
“Why? What’s he done?”

  
“Not any one thing. He's just so secretive all the time. I think there's something that he doesn't want me to know, which makes me want to know all the more.”  
She ranted, her frustration slightly sipping out and Matt looked at her amused but slightly curious.

  
“Like what? Like that he's a serial killer and he keeps a clown suit in his trunk?”

  
Elena gave him a look and he chuckled.

  
“Well, um... Let’s see… He's great at football. A little bit of a loner, and as much as I hate saying it, he might be a nice guy.”  
He added, nodding slightly and Elena sighed.

  
“So you think I'm just being paranoid?”

  
“No, I just think you should talk to him.”

  
“Talk to me about what?”  
Stefan said as he finally got to the grill, making Elena and Matt turn towards him.

  
“I’m sorry I’m late.”  
He added as he got to Elena and Elena frowned.

  
“What happened?”

  
“I got held up.”

  
“Is everything okay?”  
She asked, slightly concerned and Stefan nodded.

  
“There was this thing with my uncle.”

  
Elena gave him a tired look.  
“And you couldn't call and tell me that you were going to be an hour late?”

  
Matt suddenly placed the cue stick on the pool table, knowing the conversation was getting heated.

  
“Okay! I’ll just um… leave you both to it.”  
With that, he excused himself from the area and walked away and Elena looked at Stefan expectedly.

  
“I'm really sorry Elena, but it was unavoidable.”

  
“What was unavoidable?”  
She asked him again and Stefan wasn’t sure how to respond as he stood in front of her. No idea how to explain saving Zach from Damon.

  
Elena looked at him with a pained expression, knowing he wasn’t going to divulge any information and turned to walk away from him.

  
“Okay then…”

  
Stefan sighed, going after her.

  
“Wait. Elena, please…”  
Elena whipped back to him suddenly, frustrated.

  
“No, Don’t you get it? Stefan… Every question gets a vague non-answer! What is so awful that you’re afraid to tell me?!”

  
Stefan looked pained, not liking where the conversation had moved towards.

  
He never noticed an old man staring intensely at him, looking at him like he knew him from somewhere.

  
His eyes showed shock as he slowly walked up to the couple.

  
“I know you.”  
Elena and Stefan immediately turned to the older gentleman who was staring at Stefan like he was the most fascinating anomaly in the world.

  
“Excuse me?”  
Stefan asked, curious yet confused.

  
“I know you. How can it be?”  
He murmured mostly to himself but the two of them heard him and Stefan began to get cautious.

  
Stefan shook his head.  
“Um, I think you have the wrong person sir…”  
He said, hoping it would drive the man away but the old man shook his head, seeming really sure of what he was saying.

  
“You haven’t aged a day. How can this be?”  
As soon as he said that, all the hairs on Stefan’s undead body raised as he looked at the man with something more akin to panic.

  
Stefan shook is head, slightly making a move for Elena.  
“I'm sorry. Excuse me.”

  
With that, he softly moved Elena away from the man and outside, talking to her and hoping she wouldn’t be curious enough to take the man seriously.

  
“Hey, can we...can I take you home and we can talk about it? Is that ok?”

  
Elena looked at him curiously, her head turning towards the door into the Grill and back and Stefan like she wanted to go back in and know more about what the man had said.

  
“Wait, what was that?”

  
“I—I don’t know… uh, nothing.”  
He stuttered out and Elena sighed for the hundredth time that day, looking so done.

  
“Right. Nothing. As usual. Look, I have to go Stefan. Excuse me.”

  
With that, she walked away, leaving Stefan staring at her back as he sighed, unsure of what to do as well.

* * *

**That evening.**

  
**Mystic Grill.**

  
Logan Fell walked into the Grill, dressed impeccably and a smile on his handsome face as he spotted the sheriff and walked over to her.

  
“Evening sheriff. Anything?”  
He asked, lowering his voice as she nodded at him.

  
“We went over the entire west side of the lake. All the caverns by the falls were clean, no signs of habitat.”

  
Logan furrowed his brows together in thought.

  
“Then it means they’re staying in town.”

  
Liz Forbes nodded, albeit unsure.

  
“But we already swept through all the abandoned buildings and warehouses in town. Still nothing.”

  
“Then it must be a private residence.”

  
Liz sighed, looking stressed.  
“And that much harder to locate, if not impossible. These creatures are smart. They know how to go undetected.”

  
“Well then someone who only comes out at night should eventually become obvious and suspicious. The people of Mystic Falls should be enough of a gossip mill to lead us to them soon enough.”

  
Liz nodded before suddenly remembering something.

  
“And what about the watch?”

  
“I’m working on it.”  
Logan assured her with a smirk and Liz gave him an important advice.

  
“I knew the Gilberts. That watch is passed down to the men in the family. I'd start with Jeremy.”

  
Logan nodded with a serious look before thanking the sheriff.

  
Just then, Jenna walked into the Grill, looking all dressed up and spotted Logan from behind, walking over to him.

  
“Hey Logan.”  
Logan turned, excusing himself from the sheriff and grinned at Jenna as he walked over to her.

  
“Hey! I can’t believe you actually came.”  
He beamed and she scoffed, a small smirk on her face.

  
“Neither do I. You have an hour. Make it count.”  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Cherith woke up that evening in her room, finally feeling better as she sat up on her bed, her hair in a disarray which she didn’t notice.

  
She looked towards her window and realized it was dark out already and sighed as she flung her leg over her bed and on the floor, ignoring how cold her feet were.

  
There was soon a knock on her door and Jeremy walked in.

  
“Hey you. I was wondering if you were dead or something.”

  
Cherith scoffed as she stood up and stretched, walking over to him with a face.

  
“Oh, Ha. Ha. So funny Jemmie.”  
She pushed him out of her way and walked out.

  
“Where are you going?”

  
“Downstairs. I’m starving.”

  
Jeremy shook his head.

  
“And ruin the evening Stefan and Elena are having?”  
He asked her as she began her descent down the stairs.

  
“I do what I want!”

  
Jeremy chuckled, shaking his head at his youngest sister as he walked back into his room from going to the bathroom.

  
As Cherith got down the stairs, she smelt something super nice as her stomach rumbled.

  
“Oh I don’t care if those two are getting it on in the kitchen but I need food.”

  
With that, she walked into the kitchen, seeing the both of them kissing.

  
She ignored them, walking towards the plates on the kitchen island with food and sighed with relish, inhaling the sweet aroma of chicken parmesan.

  
The couple, hearing a sound, jumped apart only to sigh when they saw Cherith staring dreamily at the plates of food before her, her eyes dark with circles and her hair forming it’s own gibberish letter.

  
“Cherry! A little warning next time!”  
Elena sighed as she rested against the sink and Stefan stared at the littlest Gilbert amused.

  
“Good evening, Cherith.”

  
“Hi.”  
Elena sighed, more used to her sister’s odd ways and looked at her.

  
“What do you want?”

  
Cherith looked up at her sister expectantly.

  
“I need sustenance.”

  
Elena sighed ruefully, wondering exactly where it had gone wrong with her sister.

  
“You know, sometimes you sound all prim and proper for no reason.”

  
Cherith shrugged, turning her head back to one of the plates on the table.

  
“Must be because I’m half British. Now, which one of you is sacrificing their food so they can stay on the good side of Cherith Gilbert the great?”

  
She beamed innocently at them and Elena opened her mouth to protest when Stefan chuckled, placing a hand on Elena’s back and looking at Cherith.

  
“It’s okay Cherith. You can have a plate, there’s still some leftover from the cooking.”

  
Cherith beamed at Stefan as she quickly grabbed a plate and went to the fridge to grab a bottled water, looking at her sister.

  
“See, Elena. This… this is how you get in the good graces of someone. You know Stefan, I just might let you call me Cherry… in a few years from now.”

  
She said, as she closed the fridge, looking at him and he nodded at her amused.

  
“Of course, and I’d be honored.”

  
Elena breathed through her nose, pointing out of the kitchen.

  
“Room. Now.”

  
Cherith scoffed as she began walking out.  
“You’re not my mother. Well, you’re not both of them. You’re my elder sister and your duty is to spoil me rotten. I’ll leave anyways, but only because I totally want to. See you losers later!”

  
She said, walking out and up the stairs to her room and Elena sighed while Stefan chuckled, both turning to each other.

  
“Your sister is really something.”

  
Elena sighed, grinning a bit.

  
“She is, isn’t she?”

  
Stefan smiled, placing his palms on her cheeks, bringing his face closer to hers.

  
“Now… where were we?”  


* * *

**Forbes Residence.**

  
Caroline is on the phone with Tiki, discussing outfits for the sexy suds car wash the following day, going through her wardrobe.

  
_'Caroline… Caroline…'_

  
A voice similar to Damon’s called out to her eerily and she looked around before ignoring it and walking to her mirror with an outfit in hand.

  
“No, Tiki, do not do the one-piece, ok? I've seen it on you. Trust me. Yeah, but you're going for stripper pole vibe this year.”

  
_'Caroline…'_  
His voice sounded again and this time, Caroline caught a reflection in the mirror and she turned immediately, only to find no one in her room and she sighed, moving to her bed and flopping on it.

  
“Yeah, maybe we should wash the cars in slow motion. No.”She joked, laughing.

 _‘Caroline’_  
She heard again and she looked around her room, now more scared Ashe her body shivered.

  
_“Caroline? You still there?”_  
Tiki’s voice sounded over the phone and she snapped out of it.

  
“What? oh, um, sorry. Um, so I'll just see you tomorrow. Two-piece. Ok, bye”  
She said rather hurriedly as she cut the call and sighed, closing her eyes, stressed.

  
She idly wondered what was up with her life as now she was so sure she was suddenly hearing voices.

  
“Caw!”  
Caroline jumped up to her feet, startled as she looked at her opened window where a black and huge crowd sat on her window sill, looking directly at her.

  
“Caw! Caw!”  
She immediately grabbed a textbook from her desk and slowly moved towards the window.

  
“Shoo! Shoo!”  
She hit the huge crowd with the fat textbook, making it loose it’s balance, falling over and flying away.

  
Caroline sighed as soon as it vanished from her line of sight and hugged the textbook to herself, still creeped out.

  
“I must be going out if my mind!”  
She mumbled out as she threw the book on her bed angrily and moved to close her windows to avoid a repeat.  


* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Damon groaned as he lay on the cold, floor of the cellar, coughing, his skin grey and corpse like as he looked in pain.

  
Stefan walked to the locked cellar door, staring in through the small opening.

  
“I bet… you’re feeling pretty good about yourself hm?”  
Damon croaked out, hacking out a cough and looking rather pitiful.

  
Stefan looked down at him, straight faced.  
“Not particularly.”

  
Damon makes a small noise.  
“You won. You got the bad guy. Now nothing could come between you and Elena. Except the truth.”

  
He struggled, turning his head to look right at Stefan who stared at him head on.  
“The lies will catch up to you, Stefan. As long as you keep lying to yourself about what you are.”

  
Stefan kept staring at his brother unreadably before he finally spoke.  
“The beauty of you in there and me out here...is that I can walk away.”

  
With that, he turned and left his weak and groaning brother behind in the cellar.  


* * *

**September 29th.**  
**Sexy Suds Carwash.**

  
Cherith sighed as she sat by a pavement, watching the cheerleaders and football players wash the cars of the Mystic Falls’ residence.

  
“If only I had my own car…”  
She mumbled pitifully as she stared around at the cars parked all around the lot and Leslie who was by her side, removing her shirt and revealing a white and emerald green bikini top while leaving her Jean shorts on but unbuttoned and slightly unzipped so it showed it’s white and emerald green bottom bikini pair a bit, chuckled.

  
“Don’t worry. It’ll soon be February and your sweet 16 will smack you right in the face.”

  
“How astute.”  
Cherith replies dryly before gulping down a bottle of water and her head whipping fast when she heard a scream as the hose one of the cheerleaders had been holding splashed her with water and Matt ran to grab it from her, holding it down and Cherith and Leslie chuckled before Cherith sighed morosely.

  
“Well… I guess that’s going to be the only drama I’ll be witnessing today.”  
Leslie scoffed as she handed Cherith her bag.

  
“You don’t need to spend the whole day here, you know? Just make sure Caroline sees you and you’re good to go. Now, can you be a dear and help me put this in my locker?”

  
Cherith waved her off, nodding as she spotted her sister and Stefan nearby.

  
Her aunt was a bit further away resting on a white press bus, that Fell guy in front of a camera.

  
Cherith shook her head, wondering just why her aunt would fall for such a loser like him.  
Honestly!

  
He looked like some starving TV reporter who loved to poke his nose into other people’s businesses.

  
Okay, she just didn’t like him period.

  
He did chest on her aunt after all.

  
She couldn’t really remember him. Apparently she’d been 5 or 6 when she last saw him and looking at him, she didn’t think he was impressive enough to have stuck in her memory.

  
Cherith finally stood up, dusting her shorts and grabbing Leslie’s bag, heading into the school building to put the bag in her friend’s locker.

  
As she closed it, she was about to head back out when she ran into Caroline looking slightly freaked out.

  
“Hey Caroline, did you see a ghost?”  
She snorted, chuckling at her own joke and stopping when she saw the unimpressed look on Caroline’s face.

  
“Whatever. I can make fun of you however I want, you made me come here after all. What are you doing here all alone anyways?”  
Cherith asked as Caroline looked around.

  
“Nothing. I’ll… see you later.”  
With that she walked out of the building fast, leaving Cherith staring at her oddly.

  
She nodded after a while, accepting it as one of the things that just made Elena and her friends odd.  


* * *

**Woods**

  
Vicki excitedly dragged Jeremy towards a particular destination deep in the woods.

  
“Where are you taking me?”  
He asked, curious as he looked around and Vicki turned slightly to him before looking forward with a grin.

  
“We can't hide out in your room all the time. Welcome to my other favorite party place.”  
She gushed as they finally reached their destination and Jeremy looked around, slightly underwhelmed and confused.

  
“A… cemetery?”  
He asked as they got closer and he saw 3 other people sat around the area, looking all doped up and gothic.

  
“Yeah, it’s cool hunh?”  
She grinned at him before one of the 2 guys there greeted her with a grin, a roll of weed in his hand.

  
“Yo Vick!”

  
“What’s up Jared?”  
She greeted him excitedly and Jeremy looked around, slightly wary but covering up with a small smile.

  
Jared looked at Jeremy before turning to Vicki, smoking the weed.

  
“You babysitting, Donovan?”  
He mocked and Vicki scoffed.

  
“This is Jeremy guy… don’t worry, he’s cool.”  
Jared nodded at Jeremy who nodded back and he handed the weed to Vicki who grabbed it.

  
“Smoke up Vick!”

  
She inhaled it, before moving to Jeremy and breathing out some of the smoke which Jeremy moved towards and inhaled and exhaled, coughing slightly with a grin at how strong it was and Vicki grinned at him.  


* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Caroline walked slowly towards the large and imposing boarding house, looking slightly confused but the voice of Damon kept calling her towards him.

  
She walked straight right in and goes straight towards the cellar, as if being directed by him.

  
“Caroline… help me…”  
She heard the croaked voice of Damon as she entered the cellar and rushed to the locked door, looking inside and gasping.

  
“Oh my God! Damon?? What the hell! How did I know you were here?!”  
She asked, looking freaked out at everything that was happening and grabbing her hair, confused.

  
“Because I wanted you to. Very, very badly. Now, be a dear and let me out of here. Please.”  
He gasped out and Caroline moved to open it before pausing as if suddenly remembering something and glaring at Damon through the small opening.

  
“You bit me.”

  
“And you liked it. Don’t you remember?”  
He said, standing up weakly and moving to the door, holding on to stand straight as he was super weak, trying to convince her but she kept staring at him accusingly.

  
“Why do I keep remembering the same things, but in different ways?”

  
“You remember what I want you to remember. And now that the vervain has passed out of your system, you won't remember what you're about to do.”  
He said, looking deep into her eyes and she slowly got lost in them.

  
“What am I about to do?”  
She asked him in a whisper, her heart rate quickening, and he whispered back to her.

  
“You’re gonna open the door.”  
He said back and she looked at the handle, albeit hesitantly and he grunts, making her look at him again.

  
“Caroline, you’re gonna open the door.”  
He said strongly this time, his eyes slightly menacing and Caroline slowly grabbed the handle, opening it and in that moment, Zach walked down into the cellar and his eyes widened as he saw her about to open the door.

  
“No! No! Stop!”  
He shouted sprinting over to Caroline and pushing her away, pushing the door closed while Damon grunted, trying to use whatever strength he had left to push the door open.

  
Zach turned to a beyond terrified Caroline who was suddenly scared stiff.

  
“Get out of here!”  
He grunts as Damon pushed against the door and Caroline finally got her bearing and sprinted away.

  
“Run!”  
Zach shouted and in that moment, Damon used all his body weight to push the door open, making Zach grunt as he fell and Damon blurred to him and immediately snapped his neck without any mercy, looking menacing as Zach fell to the ground, dead.

  
Damon turned towards where Caroline had just left, and ran after her with the little strength he had left.

  
It was a struggle for both him and her and Caroline’s survival was in between but she soon made it out of the door and the sunlight reflected on Damon’s skin which burnt him horribly without his ring and he blurred away from the light, glaring at the open door where Caroline could be seen, sprinting away from the boarding house like the hounds of he’ll were after her, cursing at his missed snacking opportunity.  


* * *

**Sexy Suds Carwash.**

  
“Sweeper duty.”  
Tiki said, walking up to Bonnie and handing her a sweeper broom with a smirk and Bonnie turned to her, confused.

  
“What?”

  
“We have to clean the pavement.”  
Tiki shrugged and Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her.

  
“It’s a car wash. By definition, the pavement is clean.”

  
Tiki crossed her arms.  
“But not dry.”

  
Bonnie sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. She knew Tiki was doing this on purpose as Bonnie had told her to wash a car that, according to Tiki was a 'P.O.S'

  
Bonnie opened her eyes to look at a smirking Tiki.

  
“And why am I doing this again?”

  
“Caroline bailed, so that leaves me in charge. Fabulous.”  
She gushed before walking away to boss some other people, leaving Bonnie simmering with anger.  


* * *

Cherith looked around for either Elena or Leslie to tell them she was leaving as she couldn’t stay anymore.

  
It was already getting to her.

  
She wasn’t even a cheerleader and some people had already walked up to her asking for assistance to get something or the other.

  
Honestly, Cherith could be nice when she wanted to be but this was too much for her.

She had a reputation to uphold.

  
Sighing as she spotted none of the people, only Bonnie who was busy, she turned to walk away when she suddenly heard panicked screams and shouts around turned to see what was going on.

  
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a blue car lit up in flames, a trail of fire by the side.

  
“Somebody call the fire department!”  
She heard Matt shout out nearby and she quickly moved back as the flames got bigger and stronger.

  
Her eyes then sought out Bonnie who seemed to be out of it or in shock and the trail of fire directly in front of her.

  
That made Cherith panic as it could end up hurting her.

  
Before she could shout out or even rush towards her, Stefan got to Bonnie, shaking her and a few minutes later, the fire stopped.

  
Cherith suddenly forgot about Bonnie, stopping and staring at the burnt car in surprise.

  
The fire had gotten rather uncontrollable and yet it just died down without any explanation.

  
Nearby, she heard Tiki’s screams as she circled the car.

  
“Oh no! My car! I haven’t even fully paid for it yet!”  
She cried out, and while Cherith found it funny, she still couldn’t shake off the oddity of the wind stopping the car so suddenly.

  
As she slowly turned to leave, hearing the sirens of the fire department and the cops, she idly wondered about the fire. How it even started in the first place.

  
Had it been leaking?

  
What made it catch on fire.

  
Nearby, a freaked out Bonnie excused herself, rushing into the school, a slightly concerned and thoughtful Stefan staring at her as she left.  


* * *

**TV Station**

  
Elena goes through footages of a particular time period, looking for something in particular.

  
She finally found a video with no color whatsoever.

  
Black and White and not fully clear.

  
She clicked on it.

  
“This is Franklin Fell reporting to you from the Salvatore Boarding House, where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy.”  
A man spoke to the camera before suddenly turning to the boarding house behind him.

  
“Ok, they're bringing out the bodies. See if you can get closer. Is that the nephew?”  
He pondered, as the camera got closer to a young man by the door and Elena’s eyes widened as she gasped lowly, finding herself staring at the exact copy of Stefan before he moved from view.

  
She quickly ended the video and stared ahead at nothing in particular.

  
Confused and scared.  


* * *

**Forbes Residence.**

  
Sheriff Forbes walked into her daughters room, seeing her in her bed, hugging herself and looking nowhere in particular.

  
“I didn’t see you at the car wash.”  
She spoke as she stood at the entrance.

  
“I left early.”  
Was Caroline’s monotonous reply, who hugged herself closer, not in the mood to say a thing. Liz looked at her daughter closely.

  
“Honey, are you okay?”  
She asked softly, taking a step into the room.

  
“Anything you want to talk about? Is it a boy thing?”  
She joked and Caroline who really wasn’t in the mood to talk scoffed.

  
“If I wanted to talk about boys, mom, I’ll call dad. At least he’s successfully dating one.”  
She snarked, not noticing her mother’s hurt expression as she looks at her daughter once more and quietly walks out of the room, closing the door.  


* * *

**Salvatore boarding House.**

  
Stefan walks into his home after a long day, only to stop at how eerily quiet it was.

  
No sound of Zach walking about or even sleeping and no sound coming from the basement.

  
His eyes suddenly widened in panic at the cellar and he blurred down, only to stop in devastation as soon as he spots a grey looking Zach on the ground, neck twisted at a very bad direction.

  
“Oh no…”  
He muttered as he stumbled over to one of his last descendants, crouching down in front of him, looking in tears.

  
“Zach…”  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
“Dear diary.”  
Elena began from where she sat.

  
“I'm not a believer. People are born, they grow old, and then they die. That's the world we live in. There's no magic, no mysticism, no immortality. There's nothing that defies rational thought.”  


* * *

**Bonnie’s Grams' Residence.**

  
Bonnie knocks on her grandmother’s door rather desperately that night, arms wrapped around herself as she look way out of it.

  
The door slowly opened and an older mocha skinned lady with curly brown hair walked out, staring at her granddaughter.

  
“I… I don’t know what’s happening to me…”  
She stutters out, eyes filling up with tears and her Grams smiled softly at her.

  
“I know, dear.”

  
Bonnie bursts out into tears, moving to hug her grandmother who reciprocated the hug back.

  
“Oh Grams…”  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Logan sneaks into Jeremy’s room when no one is looking, searching desperately for an item which he finally found.

  
The Gilbert watch.

  
He instantly pockets it and was about to leave when Jeremy walks into his room, looking at Logan with a frown and slightly suspicious.

  
“What are you doing here?”

  
Logan feigns a smile.  
“Oh, hey man. Just looking for the bathroom.”

  
Jeremy points him the way and he leaves the room.  


* * *

**Meanwhile with Elena…**

  
‘It's not possible. I'm not a believer, I can't be. But how can I deny what's right in front of me? Someone who never grows old...’

  
She suddenly remembers a bunch of flashbacks like the old man being sure of the date… 1953.

  
‘Never gets hurt'

  
She remembers when she had been so sure Stefan had cut his hand during that brawl with Jeremy and Tyler.

  
‘Someone who changes in ways that can't be explained...’

  
She remembers his eyes changing occasionally.

  
‘Girls bitten. People drained of blood’

  
She remembers when Matt told her Vicki had said she’d been bitten by a vampire. Or Caroline’s body filled with bite marks.  


* * *

**Cemetery.**

  
Vicki heads back to her car, stoned, about to head in when she heard someone coughing and groaning.

  
“Hey man… you okay?”

  
Damon groaned.  
“Come here…”

  
He replied weakly and she walked over to him.

  
“You don’t look so good.”

  
“Come closer… I have something… to tell you…”  
He breaths out, stumbling and Vicki rushed to him, steadying him up.

  
“Woah, woah, woah…”  
She lets out, holding him.

  
“I got you… you’re gonna be okay. I got you.”  
But before she knew it, he sped her up against the car and took a bite of her neck, Vicki letting out a devastating scream.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Stefan looked murderous suddenly as he looked around for something, anything… and he found it.

  
A wooden stake.

  
His hands tightened around it in fury as he blurred down the stairs and ran towards the door, about to do what he knew he should have done decades ago.

  
As he opened the door, he stopped in shock as he saw a shaky but brave Elena standing right in front of him as he came out fully.

  
“What are you?”  
She demanded, and Stefan already knew… the gig was up.  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence**

  
Cherith tossed and turned in her bed, sweat sticking to her hair.

  
The air was slowly picking up in her room alone as books filtered open and clothes in her opened wardrobe blew and things rattled.

  
She suddenly let out a gasp, tightening her fists and a mist of red leaves her body, expanding in an explosion like wave causing the glass windows of her room to shatter, some giving webbed cracks and some breaking completely.

  
She tossed and turned breathing in and out desperately in her sleep, turning face up and grabbing at her covers and her body glowed a dark reddish and gold color before it seemed and the air in the room died off, Cherith suddenly becoming motionless in the scattered room with destroyed windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tell me what you all think and if I should continue!?
> 
> I'd appreciate comments. Thank you very much!


	6. Lost Girls

**Salvatore Estate 1864.**

  
Stefan runs out of the Salvatore boarding house, fury burning in his eyes, with a wooden stake that he got out of the basement until the flashback of him waiting on the doorstep of the old Salvatore estate appears with a flash of light.

  
A young and human Stefan Salvatore stands in front of the Salvatore Estate, dressed impeccably and looking dashingly handsome when a carriage arrives and stops in front of him. A mocha skinned young lady exits the carriage first, then a beautiful exotic yet aristocratic beauty exits the carriage and observes Stefan for a moment before he approaches her after the mocha skinned lady finished smoothing out the beautiful lady’s dress.

  
“You must be Miss Pierce.”  
Stefan said out, as he reached the young lady who he found he was suddenly enraptured by.

  
She holds out hand for him which he takes as she curtseys daintily, before coming up and he bows.

  
“Please. Call me Katherine.”  
Her smirk promised a lot to come.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
**Present.**

  
“What are you?”  
Elena asked Stefan, standing in front of him and trying to look as brave as she could.  
When he didn’t answer her at first, she spoke up again.

  
“What are you?”  
She demanded strongly and Stefan sighed quietly as the gig was finally up.

  
“You know”

  
Elena shook her head desperately.  
“No, I don’t.”

  
“Yes you do, or you wouldn’t be here.”  
He replied her and Elena’s breath quickened as she shook her head in denial.

  
“It’s not possible… I-It can’t be!”

  
“Everything you know, Elena… and every belief that you have… is about to change. Are you ready for that?”

  
He asked her intently as he closed the front door, wishing he could hold her in his arms as she shook in front of him but knowing that now was not the time.

  
“What are you?”  
She asked again and Stefan looked down for a moment before looking straight right at her.

  
“I’m a vampire.”  
Elena gulped, her reality finally crashing down in front of her as the adrenaline in her body was suddenly washing away.

  
She moved back a bit, suddenly looking super scared.  
“I… I shouldn’t have come.”

  
Stefan stepped forward desperately.  
“No. Please.”

  
But she moved back with fear in her eyes, looking at Stefan like he was the biggest monster on the planet, and that broke his heart.

  
Elena turned running towards her car but Stefan blurs right in front of her to stop her, freaking her out even more.

  
“No. No. How did you do that?”  
She stuttered afraid of him and he put his hands on her shoulder to try and calm her.

  
“Please Elena. Please, don’t be afraid of me.”  
He begged her desperately, his eyes filled with fear but Elena was horrified as she tried to push him off.

  
“Let me go!”  
She said, moving away from him and running into her car, quickly turning on the ignition and zooming off, leaving Stefan looking devastated, like he’d lost everything.

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Elena gets out of her car and runs into her home, heart beating fast as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, trying to calm down.

  
She left the bathroom and went to Jeremy’s room, opening it just slightly and seeing him watching something on his computer, headphones in his ears.

  
She moved to Cherith’s room, also opening it slightly and seeing her in bed, asleep and out of it and she closed the door, sighing with relief that at least her siblings were safe and Jenna was with Logan.

  
She sat on her bed, trying to keep calm, breathing in and out, as she sat up again, moving to and fro around her room, not sure what to do.

  
As she removed her jacket, she heard a voice that scared her again that night.

  
“Elena.”

  
She gasped, turning to see Stefan in her room and without so much as a thought, runs towards her door and opens it but Stefan blurs to the door and slammed it shut and Elena whimpered in fear making Stefan feel bad.

  
“I would never hurt you. You’re safe with me.”  
He tried to assure her and she still turned away from him, eyes closed and body shaking.

  
“All those animals attacks…”  
She suddenly remembered, gasping out and turning to him, accusation in her eyes as her back was still pressed against the wall.

  
“Those people who died…”  
Stefan shook his head quickly.

  
“No. That was Damon!”

  
“Damon?”  
She gasped out fearfully and Stefan nodded, hopeful that he was getting through to her finally.

  
“Yes. I don't drink human blood. That's not how I choose to survive, but Damon does! I'll explain everything to you, but I beg you, Elena, do not tell anybody.”

  
“How can you ask me that?!”  
She spoke, shaking, tears in her eyes and Stefan came closer to her, looking at her seriously.

  
“Because you knowing this is dangerous for so many reasons. You can hate me, but I need you to trust me.”

  
Elena looked at him, trying to believe him but she just couldn’t.

  
“Just go.”

  
She begged him.

  
“Just go, please. If you mean me no harm, then you’ll go!”  
She begged him, breath shaky and Stefan stared at her for a moment, seeing her fear and he stepped back and away from her.

  
“I never wanted this.”  
Was all Stefan said.

  
Elena turned to open her door and was about to step out when she turned again and he wasn’t there anymore.

  
She sighed in relief before rushing to her opened window and slamming it shut, seating weakly on her window seat, not sure what to do now.  


* * *

**September 30th.**

  
**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Cherith yawned as she woke up that morning, feeling really great. Better than she had in a while if she was to be honest.

  
It felt like… something had been suffocating her inside for a while and she’d let it all out or something.

  
The sun shine directly into her room and she grinned.

  
It was going to be a great weekend!

  
That all flew out of her mind though, as she sat up groggily, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and she suddenly focused on what she was looking at.

  
Which, was everywhere.

  
Her whole room was in a disarray. Some of her clothes which had been in her wardrobe were flung onto the floor. Her books that had been neatly arranged on her desk and a miniature book stand were mostly strewn on the floor, some torn slightly.

  
And then, her windows were the worst!

  
They were all cracked beyond use, and one had even broken completely.

  
She rushed out of bed, looking around in shock and quite a bit of panic.

  
Had there been an earthquake?!

  
Did it affect the rest of the house?!

  
That was all she could think of as she rushed out of her room and downstairs, stumbling slightly on the stairs and rushing into the kitchen where she knew Jenna would be enjoying her morning, or rather, early afternoon coffee.

  
“JENNAAAAAA!!!”  
She shouted out in a drawl, her eyes wide as she looked everywhere and didn’t find any destruction of any sorts.

  
Jenna looked up from her cup as soon as she entered the kitchen, watching as Cherith grabbed at her hair, looking like she’d finally gone mad.

  
“Have you finally gone mad?”  
Jenna asked her, an amused smile on her face as she took a sip of her coffee and Cherith rushed towards her, grabbing her shoulders and desperately hanging on for dear life.

  
“Jenna! Please tell me there was an earthquake last night!”  
She shouted, slightly freaked out and confused and Jenna frowned, putting down her cup and placing the back of her hand on Cherith’s forehead.

  
“Are you under the weather?”

  
Cherith slapped her hand off, looking rather serious.  
“I’m being real here, Jenna! Was there an earthquake or not!”

  
Jenna raised an eyebrow, shaking her head.  
“I can assure you there was no such thing. It was all quiet and dandy. Besides… how would you have slept through an earthquake?”

  
She chuckled to herself and Cherith’s hands dropped from Jenna’s shoulder as she stepped away from her aunt, frowning and mumbling to herself.

  
“Then… what happened to my room?... Did someone try to attack me?... Is this some form of revenge?? Did Damon Salvatore find out I was going to stab his eye out and come at me like this?”  
She muttered to herself and her aunt finally had enough of her eccentricity.

  
“Okay. That’s enough. What’s on your mind, Cherith Gilbert?”  
Jenna asked her niece who tried to explain with her hands but her mouth was numb.

  
“I-I can’t… wait, no… you need to come with me.”  
She finally said, taking her aunt’s hand and dragging her up the stairs, ignoring her aunt shouting for her to slow down.

  
Jeremy who had just been walking out of his room, got a hand to the face from Cherith who pushed him back into his room as he was in her path, and he let out a quiet 'oof.’

  
“What the hell Cherry?!”

  
She ignored him, finally pushing her aunt into the room and Jenna felt her mouth drop in shock at the mess that was Cherith’s room.

  
“What in the—What did you do to your room cherry?”  
She asked, aghast and cherry raised her hands in an innocent motion, shaking her head desperately.

  
“I didn’t do anything! I just woke up and found it like that! That’s why I kept asking if there was an earthquake!”

  
A disgruntled Jeremy then walked into the room, intent on getting his revenge on Cherith when he too stopped, taking in the room in shock.

  
“What the fuck?”

  
“Language.”  
Jenna muttered before sighing, turning to Jeremy.

  
“Know anything about this?”

  
Jeremy shook his head, walking slowly around the room.  
“Not at all, I had headphones on all through the night while watching a movie. Are you telling me you slept through all… this??”

  
He gestured around, looking at a sheepish looking Cherith who shrugged.

  
“I’m a heavy sleeper when I’m tired! I had no idea my enemies would strike like this! COWARDS! The lot of them!”  
She snarked dramatically, walking to the window and staring out into the sky, Jenna sighing once more before turning to leave the room.

  
“Let me go get my phone. As for you…”  
She turns, pointing at Cherith.

  
“Try and pack up your clothes and the broken glass in your room. And be careful too! Or rather yet, Jeremy help her out.”

  
“Oh come on!”  
Jenna ignored him, walking out of the room, wondering when her life became a sitcom show filled with eccentric people and odd occurrences.  


* * *

**Mystic Grill.**

  
**Afternoon.**

  
Cherith sat, opposite her friend at the Grill, playing idly with her fries while her mind was somewhere else as Leslie chattered away without knowing her conversationalist wasn’t even listening to a thing she was saying.  


* * *

**Meanwhile… In the woods.**

  
“What are we doing here?”  
Elena asked Stefan as the got out of the car, Elena standing by the door, staring at the area filled with a bunch of old foundations and broken down buildings warily.

  
“I want to show you something.”

  
“Here?... In the middle of nowhere?”  
She asked, not believing him and he turned to her after looking around, slightly wistful.

  
“This… didn’t used to be nowhere. It used to be my home.”

  
Elena’s eyes widened as she stared around the area, confusion in her eyes.  
“But... It looks so…”

  
“Old?”  
Stefan finished for her and he nodded.

“Well, that’s because it is.”

  
Elena looked around again before realization suddenly hit her.  
“Wait… exactly how long, have you been…”

  
Stefan swallowed, looking pitiful before he looked back up at her.  
“I’ve been 17 years old… since 1864.”

  
Elena’s eyes widened in shock.  
“Oh my God!”

  
“You said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back.”  
He said, looking at her sincerely before going back to his life story.

  
“Half a century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I...We were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends.”

* * *

**Salvatore Estate. 1864.**

  
A young Stefan and Damon run outside the backyard of their family manor, a football being thrown amongst each other.

  
“Wait. Where did you learn this game?”  
Stefan asked, breathing rather heavily, trying to catch his breath.

  
“Camp outside Atlanta. One of the officers picked it up at Harvard. Catch!”  
Damon shouted, throwing the ball up into the air and Stefan caught it before holding one hand up in the air.

  
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute… what are the rules?”

  
He asked his brother and before Damon could answer, another voice cut in the 2 brothers' bonding time.

  
“Who needs rules?”

  
The two brothers turned to see Katherine come through the door they’d just come from, her hand maiden behind her as she smiled coyly, walking up to the two boys.

  
“Mind if I join in?”

  
Stefan and Damon turned to each other.

  
“Uh, well, you could, uh...you could get hurt. My brother likes to play rough.”  
Stefan tried to explain to her and Katherine smiled, standing right in front of him.

  
“Somehow, I think that you play rougher.”  
She told him, before snatching the ball from his hand while he was suitably distracted by her beautiful face and turned, running and laughing, leaving Stefan staring at her with longing eyes.

  
Damon turned to him, then back at where Katherine had ran towards.

  
“Why are you just standing there?”  
He asked his brother, putting a hand around his shoulder.

  
“That there, is a girl who clearly wants to be chased.”

  
Stefan still kept staring mesmerized and Damon smirked.

  
“If you don't do it, I will!”

  
With that, he took off after Katherine, Stefan doing the same a moment later.  


* * *

**Mystic Grill. Present.**

  
“Hey! Are you even listening to what I’m saying?!”  
Leslie snapped her finger exasperatedly across her friends face and Cherith blinked repeatedly before sighing.

  
“Sorry. Just… out of it. You were saying?”

  
Leslie rolled her eyes before speaking again.  
“I was saying, that the UCLA course program is really great! Especially for me since I want to go into the physiology program. You should check out the programs too. Wouldn’t it be cool if we both ended up going to the same college?”

  
She grinned excitedly.

  
“Hm…”  
Was all Cherith could say as her mind was still on what happened in her room.

  
Leslie noticed her friend again and sighed.  
“Okay, what’s wrong? Tell me.”

  
“I can’t even explain it! This morning, I woke up thinking an earthquake had occurred in Mystic Falls! My whole room was in a total disarray! My clothes were everywhere, my books on the floor, some even torn up! And my windows! They were cracked up and broken! It was like an hurricane or something had gone off in there!”

  
Leslie frowned.  
“And you don’t know how it happened?”

  
“No!”  
She said exasperatedly, raising her hands in frustration.

  
“I remember going to bed and my room was stampede free! It’s really confusing. Very odd. I don’t know what happened!”

  
Leslie nodded, a frown still on her face.  
“Yeah, that is definitely weird! So what will you do now?”

  
Cherith sighed, playing with her drink.  
“Well, aunt Jenna already ordered for new windows and they’ll be here in a week and she called the repair company, they said they’d come fix it once the windows arrive.”

  
“But what about your room now? I mean, can you sleep in the room with no protection?”

  
Cherith waved off her concerns.  
“It’s okay. Thankfully it’s only one of the windows that completely broke into smithereens. Jeremy helped me tape the windows over so I don’t feel too cold at night. And also if it gets too much, I can always get a sleepover with you or something.”

  
Leslie nodded at that as they continue to eat, discussing little things and slowly Cherith began to move forward from the little incident, though she still didn’t forget it.  


* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Damon is busy playing music and drinking a bourbon when Vicki jogs down the stairs in a tank and underwear, using a towel to dry her hair.

  
“Man! That shower was so great!”  
She moans as she stopped in front of a mirror and frowned staring at her totally healed neck in surprise.

  
“What did you give me?”  
She asked Damon, turning to him.

  
“Some blood. You loved it.”

  
“I did?”  
She asked with a frown as she walked over to him.

  
“Wait. I’m totally confused. How did we get here?”  
She looked around and Damon looked her in the eye, basically compelling her.

  
“We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all of your friends and brought you here, gave you same blood. You loved it. And now we're gonna party till the sun goes down.”

  
Vicki stared blankly for a second before grinning back at him.

  
“Okay. Um, but first… can I have another hit? That blood was so good!”  
She gushed and he smirked.

  
“Only if I can.”  
Vicki grins at him, stretching out her wrist for him and Damon bit his hand, giving it to her as he drank from her wrist and she did the same to his.  


* * *

**Lockwood Residence.**

  
“We’re working on it, Mayor Lockwood.”  
Sheriff Forbes tells him as he crouched in his office, opening a secret compartment in the floor and he looked at the sheriff.

  
“Doc ID the bodies?”  
He asked as he brought out a box and slowly opened it.

  
The sheriff nodded.  
“A few townies. Notorious druggies.”

  
Mayor Lockwood nodded.  
“I suppose that will make it easier for people to buy the stories. And what about Vicki Donovan?”

  
Liz sighed.  
“She’s not one of the deceased. Thankfully.”

  
“Then where the hell is she?”

  
“I wish I knew.”

  
Just then, Logan Fell walked into the office, looking slightly hurried.  
“Sorry I’m late.”

  
“You have the watch?”  
The Mayor asked him and he nodded, bringing it out of his pocket and handing it to him.

  
Mayor Lockwood then dismantled it, grabbing a compass from the box in his hidden compartment and fixing it onto the body of the watch and it fit perfectly as if made for it.

  
“It’s done.”  
He said as he stood up, the 3 staring at their hope.

  
“That’s it?”  
Logan asked, slightly disappointed and the Mayor looked at him.

  
“Yes. That’s it.”

  
He hands him the vampire compass.  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Cherith waved Leslie off as she dropped her at her home that night.

  
She was super tired but good as she’d spent the day with basically her only friend and it had been nice.

  
As soon as Cherith opened the door to her house, she stopped short as Damon stood in front of her and Elena a few feet away looking rather fearful.

  
Damon smiled at Cherith, standing in front of her and Elena could feel her heart rate quicken.

  
“Cherry…”  
She began but Damon cut her off.

  
“Cherry Berry! It’s been a while!”  
He smiled, his teeth showing and Cherith rolled her eyes at him.

  
“Cherry, come here.”  
Elena finally spoke, her voice feigning calm and Cherith knew that because she practically grew up with her sister all her life and knew she was absolutely terrified.

  
She looked at a smirking Damon and glared at him, wondering what he’d done to her sister and walked around him to Elena who hugged her and pushed her behind herself, startling Cherith.

  
“You need to leave. Now.”

  
Damon looked intently at Elena before rolling his eyes and opening the front door.  
“Tell my brother I’m looking for him. Oh…”  
He said, turning once more and staring right at Elena.

  
“Oh, tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house.”  
He smirked devilishly at her before closing the door and Elena breathed out a sigh of relief.

  
Cherith frowned, turning to her sister.  
“What was that about? Are you okay?”

  
Elena suddenly realized her sister was still there and quickly nodded.  
“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine I just… you know Damon.”

  
She shakily answered and Cherith’s eyes narrowed.  
“You forget that I know you Elena Gilbert. Now, spill. What has you so freaked out?”

  
Cherith demanded but her sister stood her ground.

  
“Nothing to concern yourself with Cherith. You can go upstairs. I have a few things to do.”

  
With that, she turned to enter the kitchen and Cherith frowned at her sister.

  
If there was one thing she disliked the most about her sister, it was her secretive ways.  
She lived to hoard things close to her chest. Whether it involved her or not.

  
Cherith sighed, walking up the stairs.  
She wasn’t going to worry about any drama right now.

  
She was totally beat!  


* * *

**Cemetery.**

  
Stefan blurred over to the cemetery, stopping when he saw Vicki crouched on the floor against a tree, head in her lap.

  
“Vicki.”  
Stefan called out to her and she slowly raised her head.

  
“I'm starting to remember things, what he is, what he said. I remember you. The hospital, the...the rooftop, it's all coming back”

  
Stefan sighed.  
“I’m really sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you.”

  
Vicki sniffled.  
“He said that I needed to feed… What will happen if I don’t?”

  
She asked softly.

  
“You’ll fade quickly. And then, it’ll all just be over.”

  
“I'll be dead.”  
She said blankly and Stefan crouched in front of her.

  
“Hey…”  
He tries to comfort her but it isn’t working as she shook her head desperately.

  
“I don’t want this.”

  
“I know. It’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna get through this. I’ll help you.”

  
Vicki looks at him.  
“Is it better?... Will I be better??... I wanna go home. Please, take me home.”

  
She begged him and he nodded about to stand upright.

  
“Okay.”

  
Just then, a gunshot sounded and Stefan fell to the floor with a cry of pain as Logan fell came into view, the Gilbert compass in one hand and Vicki stood up, gasping in shock and pressing herself to the tree.

  
“Aah!”  
Stefan groaned and Logan got closer to him, bringing out a wooden stake and standing above Stefan who was in pain.

  
Logan then raised the stake, preparing to stab Stefan, ignoring Vicki’s scream for him to stop when Damon suddenly blurred over, biting Logan viciously on the neck and killing him, discarding him carelessly on the floor.

  
Damon crouched down in front of Stefan who was still in pain and dug out the bullet in Stefan’s body, holding it up and staring at it.

  
“It’s wood. They know.”  
He threw the bullet away from him and looked down at Stefan.

  
“If anyone’s gonna kill you, it’s gonna be me. Now, my ring.”  
He demanded, hand open and Stefan sighed on the ground, before digging into his pocket and handing over to Damon his ring which he immediately wore.

  
Suddenly, Stefan searched out Vicki and he gasped.

  
“Vicki! No!”  
But it was already too late, as the 2 brothers stared at the girl currently drinking blood from the neck of the dead TV news reporter.  
She looked up at Stefan, slightly guilty.

  
“I’m sorry.”  
And blurs away. Damon looked in her direction and just says.

  
“Oops.”  


* * *

**Later on...**

  
Sheriff Forbes and a deputy are moving towards the cemetery when they spot Logan’s dead body and Liz gasps out in shock.

  
“Oh God…”  
She mumbles.

  
She then looks around desperately, before motioning to the deputy with the torch light.

  
“The watch. Find the watch.”

  
She turns back to stare at Logan’s body.  


* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

Cherith flopped on her bed, tired but happy to be getting a good night’s rest.

  
The occurrence in her room now at the back of her head.

  
She had no idea how weird things were about to change.

  
She also had no idea that, downstairs, her sister was crying as she broke things off with a similarly devastated Stefan.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> So what do you all think about this chapter??
> 
> Review please and thank you!
> 
> And leave kudos too!!!!!


	7. Haunted

**October 31st.**

  
**Grams’ Residence.**

  
“Hey Grams, was our family burned in the witch trials?”  
Bonnie asked her grandmother who scoffed as she put on some candles in her living room that morning.

  
“No child, the girls that were persecuted in Salem were sadly entirely innocent. You'd have to have more than ignorance to trap a real witch.”  
Sheila Bennett scoffed as she sat next to Bonnie, shaking her head.

  
“How did we end up in Mystic Falls then?”  
Bonnie asked curiously.

  
“Our family fled Salem in 1692 and relocated here. Our ancestors lived in secrecy for over a hundred years. It's important that we still do.”  
She warned Bonnie, looking her right in the eye and Bonnie stared at her confused.

  
“But Grams, everyone already knows you’re a witch.”

  
Sheila scoffed, amused.

  
“They also know it's absurd, can't be true. I'm just a kooky lady that teaches occult at the university.”  
She joked, before looking at Bonnie seriously.

  
“No ones really believes that child. They just poke fun. And let 'em. Don't let 'em know the truth.”  
Bonnie nodded solemnly before she got super excited again, looking at her Grams expectantly.

  
“Okay Grams, so where's the witchcraft? I mean, you've been talking history for 2 days. I wanna get to the fun part.”  
She said hurriedly and Sheila stared at her grandchild unimpressed.

  
“Let me tell you something Bonnie Bennett, witchcraft is not meant to be fun. It's real and it's serious, and you must understand it before you practice it.”

  
Bonnie nodded seriously, expecting her Grams to suddenly do or say something when she spoke up again.

  
“Aren't you late for school?”

  
Bonnie gave her Grams a looked which Sheila ignored and Bonnie sighed, grabbing her bag and leaving for school.

* * *

**Mystic Falls High.**

  
It had been a while since Vicki went MIA.

  
Cherith honestly felt bad for Matt.

  
He was a good guy.

  
A good brother.

  
But it seemed he didn’t have the best of luck with family.

  
Cherith had heard about the kind of person his mother was, and now his elder sister was giving him even more troubles.

  
She was in awe of how he seemed to be okay, even if she knew he wasn’t.

  
And that was why she’d made him a delicious pie and was presently walking over to him where he stood by his locker, a small but friendly smile on her face.

  
“Hey Matt!”  
She chirped as she reached him and he looked up, giving her a small grin.

  
“Hey Cherry. It’s been a while.”

  
Cherith nodded with a sigh.

  
“Yeah! It’s really been a rough couple of months, hunh?”

  
Matt chuckled, nodding with her.

  
“Tell me about it. What’s that?”  
He gestured at the dessert in her hand and she suddenly remembered why she was here.

  
“Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. I made this pie for you. I remember how you used to love mum’s pie and used her recipe to make this for you.”

  
His eyes brightened up as he took the dessert from her hand with a grin.

“Wow, really?”

  
She nodded, grinning at him.

  
“Gee, thanks Cherith!”

  
Just then, Tyler walked up to the both of them and Cherith’s happy mood fled.

  
“Hey man!”  
He greeted Matt who forced a smile on his face as he put the dessert in his backpack.

  
“Hey!”

  
“Hi, Cherith.”

  
Cherith raised a hand to wave and dropped it immediately, not wanting to have anymore direct contact with him.

  
She quickly turned to Matt before Tyler could start talking.

  
“Well, I’ll see you around Matt. Call me if you need anything.”  
She said, backing away from him slowly and he nodded.

  
“Sure Cherry! And thanks for the pie.”  
She waved him off, turning and walking away.

* * *

**Mystic Grill.**

  
Mayor Lockwood walked into the Grill, greeting a police officer and walking towards a booth his wife was already at, sitting and sighing.

  
“We never should have trusted that Logan.”  
He grouched.

  
“Weasel with the watch.”

  
“How many are we dealing with here?”  
Carol asked her husband looking slightly scared and worried and the Mayor sighed, frustrated.

  
“Well, the coroner thinks it’s just one. Something about the wound radius and jaw pattern.”

  
Carol sighed.  
“Are we in danger? I mean, if it found the watch, then it knows we know, and could it come after us? Come after our children?? A-and should I even be saying "it"? Or...or is it a he or a she?”

  
She rambles, a lot of thoughts going through her mind.

  
“If it has any historical knowledge of the town, then it'll know where the watch came from, so yes, we could very much be in danger.”

  
“So what do we do?”  
Carol whispered fearfully to her husband who sighed before he answered.

  
“For now, we just have to… lay low. Keep it quiet. We can’t have the whole town aware of this. And we find it before it finds us.”

  
By the bar, Damon sips a drink, having listened to every single thing the Mayor and his wife had discussed.  


* * *

**Mystic Falls High.**

  
“Seriously?”  
Bonnie said dryly to Caroline as she brought out a witch costume out of the bag Caroline had handed her and Caroline huffed, crossing her arms.

  
“Come on! Can someone at least be excited about this Halloween party?? I just wanna… fun, you know? Silly, fluffy, Damon free fun!”  
She added, sighing exasperatedly.

  
She spotted Cherith about to pass them by when she walked over to her and dragged the disgruntled 15 year old over to where Bonnie was currently looking at the witch hat.

  
“You! What are you wearing for the Halloween party?”

  
Cherith opened her mouth to talk and Caroline cut in again, raising a warning finger.  
“And don’t you dare tell me you won’t be making it.”

  
Cherith stared cross-eyed at Caroline’s offending finger before pushing it out of her face as Bonnie grinned, dipping her hand into the bag to see what else was in it.

  
“Geez, chill Caroline. It’s just a party.”  
Caroline’s warning glare told her to shut up.

  
“Okay fine! I’m dressing up as Cleopatra.”

  
Caroline looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.  
“Hm, okay that’s not bad.”

  
“Hey, isn’t this the stuff you got from Damon?”  
Bonnie suddenly spoke up, raising a simple looking necklace from the bag and staring at it.

  
Cherith looked at it interestedly after hearing Damon had given it to Caroline.

  
She sneered, looking at it.

  
He really had no taste hm?

  
“Yep. Wear it. Toss it. I don't care. I just want it gone. Hey, have you seen Elena? Do we know what she's wearing?”

  
Cherith nodded at Caroline.

  
“I can understand why you don’t want it Caroline. It’s an ugly piece of jewelry.”

  
Caroline winked at her and Bonnie answered her question.  
“I was with Grams all weekend. Maybe she’s with Stefan? Do you know where she is Cherith?”

  
Cherith shrugged, taking the necklace from Bonnie to look at it with the reflection of light, holding it by it’s chain.

  
“Maybe with Stefan.”  
She mumbled and Caroline huffed.

  
“Ugh. Riding to his castle on his white horse.”

  
Bonnie chuckled, giving Caroline a look.  
“Don’t be bitter. It provokes wrinkles.”

  
Caroline suddenly looked to a quiet Cherith and rolled her eyes.

  
“Ugh! Cherry! What’s so special about that tacky piece of jewelry anyways?!”  
Cherith shrugged, grabbing the crystal when her body suddenly goes numb.

  
She suddenly felt something stir up in her, like a snake finally uncurling free after a long time, or a door unlocking.

  
It made her feel queasy as she closed her eyes and hunched over, Caroline and Bonnie holding her concerned.

  
“Cherry! Are you okay??”  
Caroline asked desperately as Bonnie patted the girls hair.

  
“Oh my God…”  
She muttered and Cherith took in deep breaths, dry heaving, some teens in the hallway staring curiously.

  
A moment after, she suddenly felt better, opening her eyes and taking in a gasp of air as she stood back upright.

  
“Cherry are you okay?”  
Bonnie asked her concerned and Cherith nodded her head, waving their concerns off.

  
“It’s okay. I must have found the jewelry an offense to my eyes or something.”  
She tried to joke and Caroline and Bonnie huffed, smiles playing on their lips.

  
“You have us a scare there. Better not fall sick! I have to see you at the party tonight!”  
Caroline gushed and Cherith rolled her eyes before checking the time on her watch and handing the necklace back to Bonnie, not wanting anything to do with it.

  
“Sure, sure. I have to go now though… I have classes this morning.”

  
They waved each other and Cherith left, a small frown on her face as she massaged her chest lightly, the uncurling feeling in her chest not going away and slightly uncomfortable.  


* * *

**Evening.**

  
**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Cherith sat in the kitchen, eating a slice of pizza, her siblings in the kitchen too as Jeremy walked in.

  
It was quiet for a moment before Elena broke it.

  
“So uh… do you wanna hangout tonight?”  
She asked, looking mainly at Jeremy but including Cherith too.

  
“We could go for the Halloween party. It’ll be fun.”  
She said and Jeremy shrugged, pressing his phone.

  
“Cool… sounds fun. Can’t wait.”  
Elena grinned and turned to Cherith who was stuffing her face up.

  
“What about you, Cherith?”

  
“Don’t worry, I was already going in the first place.”

  
Elena nodded before turning to look back at Jeremy who still had his phone with him, checking it a lot.

  
She cleared her throat.  
“I know you're upset about Vicki. I heard she called Matt. But you can't be with her. She needs to get better. The best thing you can do for her is let her go.”

  
She spoke and Jeremy looked at her aghast. Even Cherith looked at her like she’d grown another head.

  
Jeremy scoffed.

  
“What does that even mean, "let her go"?”

  
He shook his head.

  
“Oh, okay, sure. Since we're such experts on letting people go, right?”  
He glared at Elena and Cherith stopped eating, looking at her siblings with mixed feelings as they argued.

  
“I know you may not see it, but please, trust me Jer. It's for the best.”  
Elena said, trying to make Jeremy see her way but she only shook his head, unable to believe the nonsense she was spouting.

  
“Look, for months after mom and dad died, I felt like crap, like ‘nothing really even mattered' crap. Now all of a sudden, I get these moments and things started to feel just a little bit better, and Vicki was in every single of 'em. So you may not see it, but trust me. Keeping me away from her is not for the best.”  
He finished, before turning to walk away, Elena sighing.

  
Cherith looked at her sister from where she sat.

  
She looked like she knew something but had no idea how to say it.

  
Cherith finally spoke up.  
“I don’t know what your deal is, Elena. And I won’t pretend to understand, but really… you can’t just tell Jeremy to stop seeing Vicki. After everything he’s been through, you can’t expect him to do just that. Even if I’m not a fan of Vicki Donovan either.”

  
Elena sighed, drawing her hand through her hair, not looking at her sister.

  
“Cherry, you wouldn’t understand. It’s dangerous.”  
Cherith crossed her arms, slightly offended.

  
“Oh I wouldn’t understand? Well okay then. Tell me, why is it dangerous? Because she does drugs, because she off her rocker? Tell me something I don’t know.”

  
Elena sighed, shaking her head.  
“I can’t say Cherry. It’s just… don’t worry about it.”

  
With that she left the room, leaving a slightly hurt Cherith who pondered the words her sister had said.

  
The 3 siblings had usually been super close, but now… it would seem secrets were going to start drawing them apart, because she knew Elena was hiding something. She’d never been that good at lying.

  
Cherith only hoped everything would turn out okay.

  
And as much as she hated choosing sides, from the viewpoint of herself and Jeremy, she’d choose Jeremy’s side as Vicki wasn’t exactly dangerous and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she’d brought her brother out of his funk.  


* * *

Cherith looked at herself in the mirror as she was dressed as Cleopatra.

  
It was rather simple too.

  
She’d borrowed a black wig from Leslie that fell to her jawline and had front bangs. She wore a white silk like v necked gown that was right at the bust but slightly loose to her ankles. She wore a pair of black sandals and did a cat style eyeliner and wore some gold Bangles and a simple gold headpiece.

  
After looking herself in the mirror, she grabbed a black miniature purse and went down the stairs, joining her siblings as they all entered Elena’s car and we’re off to school.  


* * *

**Mystic Grill.**

  
Mayor Lockwood and his wife sat at a booth, drinks in hand and Carol looking just a bit tipsy as she drank a glass or martini and the Mayor looked at her, exasperated.

  
“Just how many glasses of martinis have you had this evening?”  
He wondered and Carol rolled her eyes.

  
“Oh please. Don’t start with me.”

  
The Mayor sighed before checking his watch and sitting up.  
“Can we go now? We’re already quite late for the Halloween party.”

  
But Carol waved him off, still sipping her Martini.  
“Then go. I’ll meet you at the party.”

  
She said and the Mayor just gave her a look and stood up, walking out of the Grill.

  
Damon who had been watching them both and looking for an opening, gave a devilish smirk as she turned to stare at him and they both raised their glasses.  


* * *

**Mystic Falls High.**

  
The 3 siblings walked into the school, everywhere filled with children, teens and adults.

  
As they passed by a group of children, Jeremy shouts, scaring them and making them scream in fright.

  
Cherith laughed while Elena smacked him as they entered the building.

  
Just then, they ran into Matt who was in a bloody doctor outfit, like Elena’s whose own was a bloody nurse outfit though.

  
The 2 grinned at each other.

  
“You went with last year’s costume too huh?”  
He said, greeting Elena and she shrugged, a smile playing on her lips.

  
“Yeah. I wasn’t planning on coming. Only Cherith was.”

  
Cherith, at the sound of her name, turned back to the conversation, waving Matt and them going back to looking around in the hopes that she’d spot her friend somewhere around.

  
“Me neither. So… Cherry is Cleopatra and… you’re… what, you?”He joked as he chuckled and Jeremy only gave him a look before walking away.

Cherith decided to find her way too as she turned to her sister.  
“Hey sis, I’m going to go find Leslie or something. I’ll see you later.”

  
With that, she walked away from the two as the black eyed peas' 'I gotta feeling' began playing and she began bopping to it.

  
She saw people with different costumes, some authentic looking and some just plain boring and uninspiring.

  
She spotted 3 other Cleopatra girls though and they smiled at each other whenever they passed each other.

  
As she got outside, behind the school, she then spotted Bonnie in front of a low fire, and Damon in front of her.

  
Cherith frowned as she noticed how scared Bonnie looked and slowly began walking towards them.

  
She might not be super strong but she knew could leave a damage or two if push came to shove.

  
Before she got to them though, Bonnie turned on her heels and sprinted away from him, making Cherith’s eyes widen and wonder just what he had said to her.

  
Her gaze hardened as she walked up to him.  
“Oh you are just positively dreadful.”  
She began, arms folded and Damon turned to her in surprise before a smirk appeared on his face.

  
“Cherry Berry! It’s really good to see you again!”  
He grinned and Cherith huffed, looking at him face full of dislike.

  
“Yeah, no. I told you to stop calling me that atrocious name. I just might stab you in the eye of you don’t.”

  
Damon grinned at her, amused.  
“Oh? And what strength would you have to do just that?”

  
He jested her and Cherith glared at him.

  
“You’re as cocky as a 3rd grader. Until they get a time out. Just watch your back.”  
Damon sighed, looking very curious.

  
“You know, Cherry Berry, I get the feeling that you don’t like me.”  
He pondered, whispering with a grin and she looked at him, not impressed by what she saw and spoke again.

  
“Oh I don’t. I really don’t. You know why? See, I practically dislike a lot of people, but when I look at you, all I see is an arrogant asshole who keeps creeping up around everyone I know.”

  
He grinned at her, uncaring and she scoffed before she suddenly remembered something and glared at him once again.

  
“Oh, and I have no idea what you and Caroline were up to during the founder’s ball in that room but, one thing I do know is that no one tells me what to do.”

  
She finished, turning away from him about to walk away as Damon frowned at first, confused on what she was on about when he suddenly remembered that she had run into him taking the crystal necklace and he’d compelled her to forget that.

  
But… how could she remember?

  
His eyes widened, moving after her and holding her wrist firmly and Cherith suddenly buckled as she felt absolute coldness and darkness emanate from just that one hand and she shivered, turning to a hard faced Damon with panic in her eyes.

  
“Let go of me asshole!”  
She shouted at him, yanking her hand away as people turned to stare at them and she looked at him weirdly, her heart rate fast.

  
“Stay away from me, weirdo.”  
With that, she turned on her heels and walked away rather hurriedly as she tried to distance herself from him and the horribly wrong feeling she’d felt from just his hand alone.

  
Damon though, stared as she walked away, a peculiar look on his face as he wondered whether or not Stefan had slipped her some vervain too.

  
He groaned, internally cussing out Stefan and was about hunting his brother down when his phone rang with a message.

  
A message from Stefan about Vicki Donovan trouble.

  
As he walked away, the last thing on his mind suddenly was Cherith and it would be a while before he’d find out the real reason his compulsion hadn’t worked on her.  


* * *

Cherith finally ran into her friend, Leslie and ended up staying with her instead, as she was a whole lot more fun than the drama ridden people she knew.

  
She was even able to sneak in a drink or two and as it was super late when the Halloween party finally ended, Cherith decided to go home with Leslie and sleep over.

  
All in all, it wasn’t too bad a day for Cherith.  
Of course she had no idea about the death of Vicki Donovan.

  
It’ll be a while before she finds out that piece of information, and how she came to that sticky end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> So this chapter is pretty short yeah, but I assure you from the next chapters, Cherith starts to notice things involving herself and her now developing powers especially now that she came in contact with a magical item.
> 
> Please read and comment!
> 
> And tell me what you all think!
> 
> Don't forget to recommend too!


	8. 162 Candles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please COMMENT!!!!!!!!

**November 1.**   
**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Stefan was asleep in the large living room when the sound of the book on his lap falling to the ground startled him out of his slumber and he sat up, looking around.

  
“Damon?”  
He called out, expecting to see his brother, as he stood up, walking around, but no one answered.

  
He walked towards the opened backyard door, closing it when he heard a blur and he walked around, confused.

  
“Damon?”  
He called out again but as he turned, he was pushed to the floor and he gasped, turning back up and in that moment, a female vampire crouched on him, her face vampiric as she snarked and her fangs were out.

  
“Lexi?!”  
Stefan gasped out and her face returned to normal, smiling at Stefan.

  
“Hi!”  
She beamed at him, standing up and helping him as well.

  
“W-what are you doing here??”  
He let out, surprised as he hugged her which she reciprocated as she scoffed.

  
“Psh! How could you even ask that!”

  
Stefan smiled at her.

  
Lexi was a blonde haired beauty and the oldest friend Stefan had.

  
He knew he’d be lost in this world, on the part of destruction if she hadn’t run in to him in their first encounter.

  
“I missed you.”  
He said earnestly and she grinned at him before ruffling his hair.

  
“Happy birthday.”

  
He chuckled, looking at her fondly.

* * *

 **Gilbert Residence**.

  
Cherith walked into the house early that morning as Leslie dropped her off, just in time to see Jenna dressed up and patting her curly hair.

  
“Hey Jenna.”  
Jenna smiled at her before turning back to a mirror and checking her face.

  
“Morning party animal. How’s Leslie?”  
Cherith gave her a thumbs up before frowning.

  
“I thought you didn’t have plans today. Are you going on a date?”

  
Jenna scoffed.  
“Why is it that anytime I’m so much as dressed nicely, you automatically suspect I’m going on a date.”

  
Cherith shrugged as she sat on the base of the stairs.  
“I dunno, isn’t that what adults love to dress up for the most?”

  
Jenna sighed mumbling.

  
“This child… Anyways! Like I’ve made quite clear, after that douchebag, I’m swearing off men. Now! I, am heading to the station.”

  
Cherith frowned.  
“What? Why?”

  
Just then, Elena and Jeremy began coming down the stairs and Cherith stood up so they’d be able to get down freely.

  
She looked at their faces intent on knowing what happened.

  
Jeremy looked slightly moody but Elena just looked tired.

  
“Did one of them blow up a car or something?”  
She gestured towards her siblings and Jenna scoffed.

  
“If one of you ever did that, believe me, you’ll be taking me to see the psychiatrist. All the things you’ve all put me through… But no! We’re going because of Vicki.”

  
“Donovan? What’s the deal with her?”

  
Jeremy sighed, folding his arms.  
“She left town.”

  
Cherith’s eyebrows raised.  
“Wait. Just like that? I thought saw people spotted her yesterday. Also… what does that have to do with you both heading to the station??”

  
This time, it was Elena who answered.  
“The sheriff wants to question the last people who saw her.”

  
“Will Matt be there?”

  
She nodded and Cherith sighed.  
"Poor Matt. Doesn’t have the best luck with family hm? I swear if I ever run into Vicki again, I’m going to tear into her and tell her just how much of a git she really is”

  
They turned to look at her oddly.

  
“Git? What’s that?”  
Jenna said and Cherith shrugged.

  
“It’s a British slang. Get with the times.”

  
Jeremy sighed, walking to the door and opening it.  
“Let’s just get this over with.”  
He grumbled as he walked out and Jenna nodded.

  
“True. We will see you later Cherry. Try not to destroy the house when we leave, okay?”  
Jenna said as she and Elena walked out and Cherith gave her an offended look.

  
“Oh yeah? Well maybe I should do that then!”

* * *

**Grams’ Residence.**

  
That evening, Bonnie packs her belongings into her luggage when her Grams walks by, resting on one side of the wall.

  
“You leaving?”  
She asked and Bonnie nodded with a sigh.

  
“Yeah. You know dad doesn’t like it when I stay here for too long.”

  
Sheila scoffed, walking into the room.  
“Because he misses you or because he doesn't trust me. Your father's problem is he lacks imagination. He thinks I fill your head with my witchy juju.”

  
She smirked and Bonnie grinned at her.  
“And he’s right though.”

  
“He’s always right. That’s his other problem.”

  
Bonnie grabbed the necklace, preparing to drop it in her luggage when her Grams spoke up.

  
“Uh-huh. You need to be wearing that.”  
She pointed at the necklace and Bonnie shook her head.

  
“I have to give it back to Caroline. It doesn’t belong to me.”  
She explained but Sheila was adamant.

  
“Yes, it does. It belonged to your ancestors and now it’s yours.”

  
“Emily was your ancestor too, why don’t you just take it?”  
Bonnie pleaded, wanting to be rid of the necklace but Sheila kept persuading her granddaughter.

  
“It didn’t find me child, it found you. Protected you too.”

  
She turned Bonnie around, holding her hair and Bonnie sighed, slowly putting the necklace around her neck.

  
“A witch’s talisman is a powerful tool. Don’t be giving that to anyone, okay?”  
She said as she hooked the necklace for Bonnie who turned back to her with a sigh.

  
“I just wish it was prettier.”  
Sheila shrugged with a side smirk as Bonnie out the crystal under her clothes.

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Elena sat in the living room, doing nothing in particular and Cherith is on another sofa, holding a bowl of popcorn and watching a movie when Jenna flopped on the couch with Elena in it.

  
“You’re wallowing…”  
She grouched at Elena who was playing with the red blanket on her lap and she sighed, looking at her aunt.

  
“So are you…”

  
“Well, my wallow is legitimate. I was dumped.”

  
“Yeah well, Logan’s a jerk.”  
Elena added and Jenna sighed, looking disappointed.

  
“You didn’t get a brush off email saying 'I'm leaving town. Seeya'.”

  
Cherith who was listening with an ear suddenly spoke up.  
“Maybe next time we run into him, you’d finally allow me stab his eye ball out.”

  
Elena and Jenna gave her a look and she shrugged.

  
“What? The guy doesn’t deserve to look normal! Besides, this… is exactly why I’m not interested in a relationship!”  
She gestured disgustingly at the 2 and they glared at her.

  
“You cheeky little brat!”  
Jenna said amazed and Elena dry chuckled.

  
“You know, this is the reason why I begged mum and dad to throw you out the day they brought you in. I just knew you’d turn out like this!”

  
“Uh, absolutely gorgeous and flawless, you mean?”  
She said, flaunting her hair and Jenna and Elena scoffed, amused at her.

  
“Hey, would you guys keep it down over there?”

  
“Why, what are you doing?”  
Jenna asked curiously, sitting up and turning to Jeremy, sitting at the dining, looking busy.

  
“I’m working.”  
Elena frowned, thinking she heard wrong and sat up as well, turning to look at him too, skeptical. Even Cherith was surprised.

  
“Working? Since when do you so homework?”

  
“Well I gotta finish this. I’m way behind… and I have a quiz tomorrow, so…”  
He looked pointedly at them before going back to his work, leaving the 3 ladies surprised.

  
“What so you think? Alien?”  
Elena whispered to Jenna who gave her a side look and turned back to Jeremy.

  
“Some sort of… replicate…”  
She whispered and Cherith giggled into her hand, chewing some popcorn as Jeremy looked up at them, unimpressed.

  
“He can hear you.”  
He gave them a dry smile and went back to his work again as Elena and Jenna still stared at him like he was a fascinating study.

  
“Well! I for one am proud of you big bro. Knock em dead!”  
Jeremy scoffed as he worked and Cherith went back to her movie while Elena looked suspiciously… not sure what to think of it.

* * *

Elena laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling the next morning when Bonnie entered her room after knocking.

  
“You up?”  
She asked Elena who looked pitiful.

  
“No.”  
She replied, covering her head up with her blanket and Bonnie smiled, walking to the bed and pulling the covers from Elena who grouched.

  
“No… No!”

  
But Bonnie held it tighter.  
“Why haven’t you called me back?”

  
Elena sighed, not sure what to say.  
“I’m sorry…”

  
Bonnie raised an eyebrow.  
“Are you gonna stay in bed forever?”

  
“Yep. It’s pretty comfy, you know?”

  
Bonnie sighed.  
“Move over…”

  
She said to her best friend who rolled to the other side and she slid into the bed and under the covers.

  
“I’m officially worried… what’s going on?”

  
Elena looked like she had no idea how to explain as she stared up at her ceiling.  
“I’m tired of… thinking… of talking, like…”

  
She stuttered and Bonnie nodded.  
“okay, I get you. Can I maybe get a one line version or something?”

  
“Stefan and I broke up.”  
Bonnie looked surprised at that, as she hadn’t been expecting Elena who had been happy with him, to ever say that.

  
“I’m so sorry… are you okay?”

  
Elena gave her a look.

  
“Right. Stupid question. I know, I’ve been kind of MIA, when you needed me the most… I suck.”

  
“Wanna make it up to me?”  
Elena asked Bonnie who eagerly nodded.

  
“Get my mind off of it.”

  
Bonnie grinned as she stood up.

  
“just remember you asked for it!”  
She chirped as she closed the room windows and grabbed Elena’s feather pillow, tearing it into shreds and the feathers piled up on her bed and Elena sat up, aghast.

  
“H-hey!”  
Bonnie grinned at her as she sat on the bed too.

  
“Be patient. Now, I need to swear you to secrecy.”

  
Elena looked at her.  
“It’s kind of a bad time for that kind of stuff.”

  
“Swear, cause I’m not supposed to be showing you this.”  
Bonnie said again pointedly and Elena sighed, giving up.

  
“Okay! I swear.”

  
Bonnie grinned.

  
“Okay. So there’s no windows opened, right? No fan, no air conditioning?”  
She asked pointedly and Elena looked around the room nodding.

  
“Right, none. What are you doing?”

  
“Grams just showed me this. Are you ready?”  
She said excitedly to her and Elena nodded, confused.

  
Bonnie placed a hand over the feathers and as she raised it, a feather raised with it, floating mid air and Elena’s eyes followed it in confusion.

  
“Bonnie… what’s going on?”  
She breathed out and Bonnie dropped the feather, before raising both hands again.

  
Just as she raised them, more feathers floated in mid air before dropping and Elena gasped in shock before she let it float down.

  
This time, she stared at Elena and just as fast, all the feathers rose up in the air, floating beautifully around the room, twirling in circles and Elena laughed in amazement, staring around, hands covering her mouth and Bonnie smiled softly.

  
“It’s true, Elena… everything my Grams told me… it’s impossible, but it’s true. I’m a witch.”  
Elena scoffed with a grin.

  
“I believe you.”

  
What with all the things she’d figured out, being a witch was not too far off the impossible/possible scale.

  
She laughed as she stared around her seemingly brighter room.

* * *

“It's weird huh?”  
Bonnie gushed at Elena as they sat on her bed after the big revelation.

  
“After all this time, joking about being psychic. I really am a witch.”  
She laughed, before looking at her friend with concern and fear mixed in.

  
“You don't… think I'm a freak now, do you?”

  
Elena immediately shook her head at the thought.  
“No of course not!”  
She assured Bonnie strongly, holding her hands in hers.

  
“Bonnie I just... I don't understand though. If your Grams asked you to keep all this a secret, why did you tell me?”

  
Bonnie smiled, rolling her eyes at her seemingly naive friend.

  
“Because, Elena… you’re my best friend. I can’t keep secrets from you!”  
She said like it was the most absurd thing in the world and Elena nodded, suddenly feeling super guilty as she remembered that she herself was keeping a very huge and dark secret from her friends and family, and the guilt ate at her.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Elena parked her car that afternoon and got out, staring at the huge building with trepidation as she walked towards the front for and rang the doorbell, waiting for an invite in.

  
“It’s open! Come on in!”  
Elena frowned, startled at the female voice she heard but walked in, looking around.

  
Just then, Lexi came down the stairs and she stopped in shock when she saw just who she was looking at.

  
“Oh my God! H-how… Uh… Wh--… Who?”  
She stuttered, pointing at Elena like she’d just seen a ghost.

  
Elena frowned, looking Lexi up and down as she was only covered in a towel.  
“I’m Elena. Who are you?”

  
Lexi suddenly understood who was standing in front of her and she sighed slightly, shaking her head.  
“I’m Lexi. A friend of Stefan’s.”

  
“Is he… here?”  
Elena asked hesitantly and Lexi nodded.

  
“Yeah uh, he’s in the shower. Want to wait?”

  
Elena’s eyebrows raised as Lexi said that, staring at the towel wrapped around her body and all sorts of scenarios running through her mind.

  
She immediately shook her head, not wanting to be in the house any longer.  
“No.”  
She said, turning to leave and Lexi, still fascinated by the girl in front of her, nodded.

  
“Okay. Well, I’ll tell him you stopped by.”

  
“That’s okay.”  
Elena muttered as she rushed out of the house, a huge frown on her face.

  
“Oh, Stefan Salvatore we have a lot to talk about…”  
Lexi gritted her teeth as she zoomed up the stairs and into Stefan’s room just as he was buttoning up his shirt and she bellowed out in anger.

  
“Are you out of your mind?!”

  
Stefan frowned, turning to her in confusion.  
“Is there something wrong?”

  
Lexi scoffed.  
“I just met your Elena.”

  
She blurred to the picture of Katherine on Stefan’s desk and Stefan sighed, knowing what she was implying already.

  
“You have a lot of explaining to do.”

* * *

**Gilbert Residence.**

  
Cherith sighed as she went through the course programs for UCLA on her computer.

  
It was a good school, but she honestly felt not excitement… nothing, in particular, to the school.

  
Just as she was sure lots of people were expecting her to attend Whitmore college as well.

  
But Cherith just wasn’t interested in either of them.

  
She felt super frustrated as she sat at her desk, the months to graduation suddenly feeling super close.

  
She knew she technically had a while before she’d start sending out college applications, but this was something she’d procrastinated for a long time coming.

  
Add her age into the bracket as well.

  
Technically she’d finish high school at age 16, but in a way, it was still young and she didn’t know if she wanted to jump into the college life immediately.

  
Frustrated, she slammed her fist on her desk and let out a shriek as the bulb in her bedside lamp blew into smithereens.

  
Quickly standing up and moving back, she felt a flash of pain under her feet and winced as she turned her right foot over and saw a small glass sticking out which she gingerly removed and a little blood gushed out which she cleaned.

  
She sighed, confused with everything and wondering about her life and college and seemingly moving out of the home she’d grown up in.

  
Standing up, she walked out of her room, limping slightly and entered the bathroom, grabbing the medical kit and treating the wound, cleaning it up.

  
Thankfully, it was just a slight prick and so she could still walk around and ignore the pain.

  
She then prepared to go down the stairs and grab something to pack the broken glass in her room and also replace the bulb when she stopped as she saw Elena talking to Stefan by the front door and sighed, making the 2 turn to her as she slowly got down the stairs.

  
“Elena, should I bring the ex repellant? It just might Chase away unwanted organisms from our door.”  
She grouched and Elena sighed, about to chide her when she saw her sister’s dull face.

  
“Hey, you okay?”

  
Cherith waved her off as she walked into the kitchen.  
“No. I’m going crazy thinking about life. But don’t worry, I’ll live.”

  
She gave Stefan a look before entering the kitchen and grabbing a sweeper broom and packer and heading up to her room, even as she heard the front door closing.

* * *

As Cherith finally changed the bulb, watching it turn on, she sighed in relief before turning it off and her sister entered her room.

  
“Hey… I think I might head to the grill for a bit. Will you be okay here?”

  
Cherith grunted as she flopped on her bed, cocooning herself and Elena walked over to her sister, a small smile on her face.

  
“Wow… Cherith Gilbert being quiet and not snotty. The world must be ending.”  
She said, before looking at the computer and seeing Whitmore college on the screen.

  
She smiled, going over to it.

  
“Ah yes… the dreaded time for college applications is near. You know… mum and dad would be really proud of you for following in their footsteps and heading to Whitmore.”

  
Cherith sighed, feeling even more miserable.

  
“Just hang in there for a year. Bonnie, Caroline and I will join you after, and a year after us, Jeremy would be there too. You’ll get the whole crew back. Oh, and Leslie too.”

  
“Leslie is set towards UCLA”

  
“Oh…”  
Elena looked at her sister’s dull face and nodded, thinking that was why she was sad and stood up, patting her sister’s head.

  
“That sucks… but, I’m sure you’ll find other friends at campus. And if you don’t, you could always torture the teachers and stuff.”  
She smirked and Cherith scoffed before snarking at her sister.

  
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Begone from my presence!”  
She commanded and Elena chuckled as she walked out of her sister’s room.

  
“Yep. That’s the Cherith I know and cherish.”  
Cherith groaned and shouted at her sister who left the room.

  
“That stopped being funny years ago!”  
As soon as she was left alone in the room, she idly wondered about what Elena had said…

  
Her parents would have been glad she was following in their footsteps.

  
But… she had 2 sets of parents, didn’t she?

  
Taken that her birth father, Christian Gilbert also went to Whitmore with his brothers… her birth mother didn’t.

  
She was British.

  
And sadly, Cherith didn’t know much about her, as much as she’d have loved to, but… she knew her mother had gone to the University of Oxford, England.

  
That was a whole continent away!

  
Cherith groaned as she stood up from her bed, moving to her window and opening it, sitting on the window seat and staring up into the sky.

  
“Well… are the 4 of you looking down on me and laughing at the dilemma I’m in? Cause I bet you are. That’s what adults and their lots do right?”

  
She sighed, before cussing out and slapping the window seat in anger and the sound of a bulb breaking brought her out of her reverie as she cussed.

  
“Fucking hell! Not again! Freaking fake bulbs!”

* * *

**Mystic Grill.**

  
Caroline smiles as she greets a bunch of people, turning to walk around her successful party when Damon stops in front of her, straight faced.

  
“Where is it?”  
He demanded and Caroline sighed, shaking her head.

  
“No. Bonnie wouldn’t give it back.”

  
Damon sighed, finding the patience in him not to snap her neck.  
“So rip it off her neck!”

  
“Well I tried to! It just… shocked me!”  
She said, confused and Damon took a deep breath in before exhaling it out, frustrated.

  
“Why does it keep doing that?! I need that crystal. Damn it!”  
He whispered angrily to himself and Caroline sighed.

  
“Why are you being like this? I'm so good to you and I'd do anything.”  
She said sultrily, hands going around his jacket and Damon just stared at her, unamused.

  
“It's just some stupid necklace.”  
Damon grabbed her hands dropping it from his body and gave her a hard look, sneering.

  
“No, you are the only stupid thing here. And shallow.”

  
He turned to leave when he said another word again.

  
“And useless.”  
With that, he walked away angrily, leaving a teary eyed and depressive looking Caroline behind.

* * *

**An hour later.**

  
Outside, a deputy is in his patrol car, driving slowly around when he stops, he stops when he hears the cries of a girl.

  
“Help me…”  
She whimpers and he slowly got out of his car, turning on his flashlight and going down the small stairs and into the small passage way between the Grill and another building.

  
As he walks a bit deeper, he stops, gasping in shock at a body, blood pooled around the neck.

  
He brings out his radio to call it in.

* * *

Some moments after…

  
Sheriff Forbes arrives at the scene, staring at the body before she turned to the deputy.

  
“Keep this contained.”  
The officer though was not done with his explanation as he turned to her.

  
“That’s not all.”  
He pointed his flashlight at the other end away from the body, where the girl crying from earlier sat on the ground, head in her laps.

  
Sheriff Forbes quickly moved to her and squatted by her side.

  
“Hey…”  
She spoke to the girl softly and she looked up, mascara running down with tears.

  
“Did you see what did this?”  
The girl nodded slowly and Sheriff Forbes almost fell over with relief. Finally they had a hit.

“Tell me everything you saw.”

* * *

**Inside…**

  
Elena walks over to where Stefan was playing pool and he smiled at her.

  
“Hi…”

  
“You came.”

  
She nodded.

  
“Yeah, uh… I couldn’t miss you hundredth and… something birthday.”

  
They smile softly at each other.

* * *

**Another hour after…**

  
Stefan walks out of the Grill, anger on his face, mixed with pain and horror at what his brother had done.

  
He’d killed Lexi!

  
Killed her like she was some unimportant person to him. To Stefan!

  
“Stefan! Stefan!”  
Elena called to him urgently and he turned to her, his face stuck in the constant horrific realization of what his brother has just done to him.

  
“He killed her!”  
He gritted out, still not believing.

  
“He killed Zach too! Tanner! He turned… Vicki! I have to kill him!”  
He said, turning and looking determined but Elena held him back.

  
“No! You can’t do that!”  
She tried reasoning with him but he got even more angrier.

  
“Why are you trying to save him?!”  
He shouted frustrated.

  
“He is, never going to change! Don’t you see that, Elena?! He’s never going to change!”  
He tried to convince her and she nodded understandingly.

  
“I know that, Stefan! I’m not trying to save him! I’m trying to save you! Do you know what that could do to you?? If you killed your own brother?!”

  
He kept shaking his head, not wanting to listen.  
“Everywhere I’ve been, pain and death follow: Damon follows! No more!”

  
“Stefan, wait! Please just-just talk to me… let me be here for you.”  
Stefan shook his head, looking at Elena.

  
“You were right to stay away from me.”  
He backed away from her and she stared at him, unsure what to do but her heart feeling for him.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House.**

  
Damon sat at the bar, drinking a bourbon as if waiting for something… or someone.  
The sound of a blur settling behind him made him turn slightly.

  
“Told you I’d take care of it.”  
Was all he said, as if expecting some for of praise from a stony eyed Stefan.

  
Stefan took one look at him and charged him.  
Punching him and then throwing him to the ground with vampire speed and he slid across the floor, hitting his back dangerously as he let out a gasp of pain.

  
Stefan walked over to him, punching him twice and as his fist came down a 3rd time, Damon held it back, using his leg to kick Stefan away from him and both were in their feet.

  
Damon angrily walked up to his brother and with his vampire speed, held him but Stefan got the upper hand as he turned and pinned Damon to the wall.

  
“Come on.”  
Damon breathed out.

  
“I did this for you. To get them off our trail!”  
He tried to convince Stefan who whispered back to him dangerously.

  
“You never do anything for anyone but yourself.”  
With that, he brought out a wooden stake from behind his back pocket, immediately stabbing Damon just a little bit from his heart and Damon gasped in pain, shaking as his eyes watered slightly, looking down at the stake.

  
“You missed.”  
He shuddered out in pain but Stefan shook his head.

  
“No. You saved my life. I’m sparing yours. Now, we’re even.”  
With that, he pushed the stake deeper into Damon who gasped in pain and Stefan left him as he fell to ground.

  
“And now we’re done.”  
With that, he turned and walked away from his brother before he could get even more murderous and end up doing what he’d wanted to before.

  
Damon gasped in pain where he sat, holding the stake with both hands and pulling it out of his body painfully, sighing.

* * *

**Bennett Residence.**

  
Bonnie is deep asleep, tossing and turning, having a nightmare, the crystal shining slightly.

  
She’s running deep in the forest as if someone was after her as well. She soon falls over a branch by the old ruins of a church, looking around and she gasped as she sees the dark silhouette of someone from afar and scrambled to her feet, turning when she’s met with someone she’d only seen in pictures who’d dies years and years back.

  
“It’s coming.”  
Emily Bennett said, looking at Bonnie seriously and Bonnie woke up with a gasp and shudder, only to find herself in the woods near the old church.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8! Please COMMENT!!!!
> 
> I've always hated Damon for what he said to Caroline in season 1. Calling her stupid, shallow and useless.
> 
> That could do a lot to a person's self esteem, especially someone like her.
> 
> What did you guys think of this chapter and also Cherith's feelings on College???
> 
> Please comment!!!!!!!! And kudos too!!!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Guys!!!!
> 
> I started a Vampire Diaries fanfic with a little touch of the Marvel Universe sprinkled into it.
> 
> Even if you aren't a fan of The MCU, I assure you, you'd still be able to read this.
> 
> There's no Avengers whatsoever in this.
> 
> It's basically a tale of what happens if a Scarlet Witch was born in another universe.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Please comment on if I should keep going!


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